EASTERN  DIVISION 


J.  PAUL  GETTY 


KANSAS 


AND  THE 


COUNTRY  BEYOND, 


ON  THE  LINE  OE  THE 


UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY, 

E^STEE,2ST  IDINTISIOISr, 

FROM  THE  MISSOURI  TO  THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN. 

PARTLY  FROM  PERSONAL  OBSERVATION,  AND  PARTLY  FRO  At  IN- 
FORMATION DRAWN  FROM  AUTHENTIC  SOURCES. 

WRITTEN  IN  A SERIES  OF  LETTERS  TO  THE  PITTSBURGH  GAZETTE. 

By  JOSIAH  COPLEY. 


i t It  a Pap. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  k CO. 
1801. 


KANSAS 


AND  THE 

COUNTRY  BEYOND, 

ON  THE  LINE  OF  THE 

UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY, 

easterit  Division, 

FROM  THE  MISSOURI  TO  THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN. 

PAETLY  FEOM  PERSONAL  OBSERVATION,  AND  PARTLY  FROM  IN- 
FORMATION DEAWN  FROM  AUTHENTIC  SOURCES. 

WRITTEN  IN  A SERIES  OF  LETTERS  TO  THE  PITTSBURGH  GAZETTE- 

By  JOSIAH  COPLEY. 

mm  a Pap. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  & CO 

1867. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/kansascountrybey00copl_0 


CONTENTS. 


Introductory  Article.— The  Territory  beyond  the  Mississippi 
— The  two  Great  Railroads  — The  Excursion 

Letter  I.  — Arrival  at  Clear  Creek,  the  end  of  the  finished  Road 
— Meeting  of  the  Excursionists  at  Clear  Creek — Ellsworth — * 
Arrival  at  Fort  Harker — Curious  Rocks — Prairie  Grass  — 
Country  last  passed  over — Fort  Harker— Another  Meeting — 
Leave-taking — Expedition  to  Pond  Creek  . 

Letter  II.  — Tornadoes  and  Rain  — Party  to  Pond  Creek — A 
Ranch  — Solidity  of  the  Earth- — Wells — Length  of  the 
Smoky  Hill  .......... 

Letter  III.  — Continuance  of  the  Flood— Change  in  the  Soil  — 
Buffalo  Grass  dying  out — Wild  Plums  and  other  Fruit  . 

Letter  IV.  — The  Flood  — The  Question  of  Routes 

Letter  V.  — Prairie  Hogs — Rambling  Observations— Enterprise 
of  Chicago — Connection  of  Chicago  with  this  State  and 
Road 

Letter  VI. — Water  falling — A Hew  Hotel  — Return  of  twoofthe 
Pond  Creek  Party  — Observations  upon  the  Country  above  . 

Letter  VII. — Arrival  at  Lawrence — Flood  in  the  Smoky  Hill 
and  Kansas 

Letter  VIII.  — Trees  in  Kansas  ....... 

Letter  IX. — - Mineral  Resources  of  Kansas — Magnesian  Lime- 
stone, its  abundance  and  excellence  as  a Building  Material  — 
Other  Varieties  of  Stone — Marble — General  Remarks  . 

Letter  X. — Mineral  Resources  of  Kansas,  continued — Coal — 
Salt. — Gypsum — Alum — Iron 

Letter  XI.  — Towns  in  Kansas — Leavenworth — Rivalry  with 
Kansas  City  — Lawrence — Its  Location,  Beauty  and  History 
— Swift  Retribution — Brief  Mention  of  an  old  Friend  . 

Letter  XII. — Towns  in  Kansas,  continued 

Letter  XIII Towns  in  Kansas,  concluded  — The  Heosho  Val- 

ley— Seasons  in  Kansas — A word  to  such  as  may  think  of 
Emigrating  ......  . 


PAGE 

5 

11 

16 

19 

21 

24 

28 

31 

34 

37 

41 

45 

50 

53 


(3) 


4 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Letter  XIV. — Education  in  Kansas  — The  Free  School  System 
— State  Normal  School — Peculiar  Mode  of  Teaching — State 
Agricultural  College — University  of  Kansas — Equality  and 
Commingling  of  the  Sexes  in  the  Higher  Schools  . . .56 

Letter  XV. — Return  of  the  Pond  Creek  Party  — The  Line  to 
Denver  — Pine  Timber — Coal — The  Mountain  Snows  must 
be  avoided  — The  Route  and  Distance  to  New  Mexico  — 
Superiority  of  the  more  Southern  Route  — Surveying  Party  . 60 

Letter  XVI. — General  Subject  of  Routes  discussed — Description 
of  the  Valley  of  the  Platte  — The  Region  between  the  Heads 
of  the  Platte  and  the  Sierra  Nevada — Great  Utility  of  both 
Roads  — The  Route  beyond  Kansas  — Fertility  of  the  Coun- 
try on  the  Arkansas  and  Purgatoire  Rivers  — Immense  De- 
posits of  Coal  — Pine  Timber — New  Mexico,  its  Minerals  and 
other  Resources 64 

Letter  XVII.  — Arizona  — California  ......  70 

Letter  XVIII.  — Length  of  the  respective  Routes  — Latitude 

and  Longitude  of  the  Principal  Points  . . . . .74 

Letter  XIX. — Eastern  Connections — Table  of  Distances  . . 76 

Letter  XX.  — Branch  Roads  — To  Galveston  from  three  points 
in  Kansas  — To  Denver — Down  the  Rio  Grande  into  Mexico 
— To  Guaymas  — To  San  Diego — Effect  upon  Mexico  — 


General  Remarks  . . . . . . . . .78 

Letter  XXI.  — Will  it  Pay?  ........  82 

Letter  XXII.  — The  March  of  Empire 84 


THE  MAP. 

This  is  probably  tbe  most  accurate  and  reliable  Railroad  Map  that  has  ever  been 
offered  to  the  public.  It  is  a fac-simile  of  the  official  map  prepared  from  the  most 
recent  surveys  and  explorations  under  the  authority  of  the  Government  at  Washing- 
ton, and  was  drawn  and  engraved  by  W.  J.  Keeler,  Esq.,  of  the  Indian  Bureau,  ex- 
pressly for  this  work.  The  lines  of  both  the  great  Pacific  Railroads  are  laid  down 
as  nearly  as  possible  as  they  are  to  be,  and  with  equal  fairness  and  fidelity.  It  was 
not  deemed  to  be  either  honest  or  politic  to  insult  the  intelligence  of  the  country  by 
stretching  a favorite  line,  like  a ribbon,  across  the  continent,  and  attempting  to 
ignore,  as  far  as  possible,  all  other  roads  that  are  not  subsidiary  to  it.  All  that  is 
essential  to  a full  and  fair  understanding  of  the  great  question  of  routes  from  the 
Missouri  to  the  Pacific  is  given. 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


Or  the  vast  territory  embraced  within  our  national  boundaries, 
stretching  from  ocean  to  ocean,  three-fifths  lie  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, that  great  Mediterranean  river  which  bisects  it  from 
north  to  south,  dividing  it  into  two  vast  and  strongly  distinctive 
and  dissimilar  sections.  In  this  estimate  I do  not  include  the 
territory  recently  purchased  from  Russia.  The  one  is  partially 
occupied  in  all  its  parts ; the  other  is  only  beginning  to  be  occu- 
pied around  its  borders.  The  one  is  now  the  home  of  more  than 
nine-tenths  of  our  people  ; a century  hence,  it  may  be,  the  dwell- 
ing-place of  a majority  of  the  American  people  will  be  in  the 
other.  The  one  is  a land  of  forests  and  navigable  rivers,  with 
mountain  systems  of  moderate  altitude,  and  with  topographical 
features  greatly  diversified,  often  beautiful,  but  rarely  grand  ; the 
other,  for  the  most  part,  is  made  up  of  vast  prairies  of  surpassing 
beauty  and  fertility,  and  of  stupendous  mountains,  rich  in  almost 
all  varieties  of  minerals,  yet  presenting  barriers  to  human  pro- 
gress more  formidable,  perhaps,  than  are  to  be  found  anywhere 
else  on  the  earth’s  surface.  The  one  is  a good  country,  surpass- 
ingly good,  as  the  past  progress  and  prosperity  of  our  people 
abundantly  attest ; but  no  man  can  travel  long  over  the  match- 
less region  which  lies  beyond  the  river, — & garden  three  times 
the  area  of  France,  with  mountains  beyond  sufficient  to  supply 
the  ever-advancing  world  with  precious  metals,  and  an  ocean 
beyond  them,  with  more  people  upon  its  shores  and  islands  than 
are  found  on  all  the  other  waters  of  the  globe, — without  coming 
to  the  strong  conviction  that  the  trans-Mississippi  section  is  still 
better. 

But  this  portion  of  the  earth’s  surface  is  as  unique  as  it  is 
stupendous.  While  one  part  is  sublime  in  altitude  and  rugged 
grandeur,  the  other  and  nearer  part  is  equally  so  in  its  vast  ex- 
tent and  its  continuous  yet  ever-varying  beauty.  Those  prairies 

(5) 


6 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


look  as  if  an  ocean,  heaving  in  grand  long  swells,  had  become 
suddenly  indurated  and  clothed  with  luxuriant  grass  and  flowers. 
Day  after  day#  man  may  travel,  and  still  one  word  will  charac- 
terize all  he  sees  — Beautiful!  Yet  there  is  no  monotony,  for 
every  mile  reveals  beauties  in  new  and  peculiar  forms.  Such  is 
all  Kansas,  and  such  is  all  the  country  south  of  Kansas,  from  the 
mountains  to  the  flat  grounds  which  skirt  the  Mississippi  and 
the  Gulf. 

To  this  general  description,  however,  the  greater  part  of  the 
valley  of  the  Platte  is  exceptional.  Broad,  flat,  treeless  and 
desolate,  without  lateral  streams,  and  with  scanty  vegetation,  it 
does  not  attract  settlers.  As  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern 
Division,  is  pushed  forward,  section  after  section,  up  the  Kansas 
— now  250  miles  beyond  the  Missouri  — settlers  in  thousands 
follow  it,  and  even  precede  it,  so  that  already  numerous  towns 
have  grown  up  where,  two  years  ago,  Indians  and  buffaloes  were 
roaming,  each  surrounded  with  well-tilled  and  productive  farms. 
The  Union  Pacific  Railroad  of  the  Platte,  however,  has  only 
drawn  settlements  after  it  about  a hundred  miles  west  of  the 
Missouri.  Beyond  that  the  country  remains  almost  as  desolate 
as  ever. 

The  centre  of  Kansas  is  very  nearly  the  geographical  centre  of 
the  United  States.  It  may,  therefore,  with  great  propriety  be 
called  the  Central  State.  This  is  well,  for  it  is  perhaps  the  most 
fertile,  as  it  is  unquestionably  the  most  beautiful,  of  the  great  sister- 
hood ; and  through  its  gushing  heart,  as  I believe,  the  great  artery 
of  the  world’s  commerce  is  destined  to  flow.  There  is  hardly  a 
sterile  spot,  as  there  is  not  a miasmatic  swamp,  nor  a rugged 
mountain,  within  its  broad  domain.  I had  heard  much  of  Kan- 
sas before  I saw  it,  but  the  half  had  not  been  told.  Last  fall  I was 
through  it  as  far  as  Fort  Riley  and  Junction  City;  and  although 
it  was  in  November,  when  everything  was  sere  and  dry,  I was 
much  impressed  with  its  beauties  and  its  almost  boundless  capa- 
bilities. This  year,fas  one  of  the  excursionists  over  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway,  I again  visited  it  in  June,  when  Nature  had 
arrayed  herself  in  her  most  gorgeous  attire.  The  effect  upon  my 
mind  was  still  more  impressive,  and  I resolved  to  take  time  to 
acquaint  myself  well  with  everything  calculated  to  interest  the 
minds  of  such  as  had  thoughts  of  emigrating,  and  of  all  who  take 


THE  TWO  GREAT  RAILROADS. 


7 


an  interest  in  the  greatness,  the  grandeur,  and  the  boundless 
resources  of  our  national  heritage. 

THE  TWO  GREAT  RAILROADS. 

It  is  rather  an  awkward  and  embarrassing  circumstance  that 
the  road  which  runs  up  the  valley  of  the  Platte,  and  that  which 
runs  up  the  valley  of  the  Kansas,  should  both  bear  nearly  the 
same  name.  The  first  is  the  Union  Pacific  Pail  road ; the  other 
the  Union  Pacific  Pail  way,  Eastern  Division.  This  sameness  of 
name  arose  out  of  the  original  programme,  which  was,  that  the 
Kansas  road  should  be  carried  up  the  Pepublican  Fork  of  the 
Kansas  river,  thence  across  the  Platte  river  at  the  100th  meridian, 
and  there  unite  with  the  Platte  road.  But  by  Act  of  Congress, 
of  July,  1866,  the  Kansas  Company  were  authorized  to  build  their 
road  up  the  Smoky  Hill  instead  of  the  Republican,  and  make 
their  junction  with  the  other  road  at  Denver,  or  that  vicinity,  at 
about  the  105th  meridian.  This  change  retarded  the  work  on  the 
Kansas  road  considerably;  but  it  greatly  shortens  the  line  to 
Denver,  and  leads  the  road  through  a much  better  country — one 
of  good  soil,  abundance  of  water,  and  through  a section  abound- 
ing in  coal  and  pine  timber. 

But  what  is  of  still  more  importance,  the  road  by  the  Smoky 
Hill  route  has  a slight  southern  bearing  as  far  as  the  western  line 
of  Kansas,  at  which  point,  or  near  it,  it  is  in  contemplation  to 
change  the  direction  of  the  main  line  to  the  southwest,  through 
the  southeastern  corner  of  Colorado,  and  thence,  through  Hew 
Mexico,  Arizona,  and  Southern  California,  to  San  Francisco. 
The  original  plan,  however,  of  pushing  on  to  Denver,  is  to  be  car- 
ried out.  The  feasibility  and  the  advantages  of  this  southwestern 
route,  around  the  mountains  instead  of  over  them,  are  fully  dis- 
cussed in  my  concluding  letters ; and  I trust  the  reader,  who  will 
favor  me  with  an  attentive  perusal  of  the  facts  and  arguments 
offered,  will  agree  with  me  in  the  opinion  that  this  is  by  far  the 
better  route  to  the  Pacific.  * 

RAILROADS  A NECESSITY  IN  THAT  COUNTRY. 

To  subdue  and  occupy  such  a country  as  that  beyond  the  Mis- 
sissippi, will  require  greater  forces  than  were  employed  in  the 
conquest  of  the  section  of  our  country  east  of  that  river,  where, 


8 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


although  very  much  aided  by  navigation  on  the  lakes,  and  on  the 
Ohio  and  other  rivers,  settlement  was  half  a century  creeping  from 
the  Alleghen^s  to  the  Mississippi,  as  it  had  been  an  entire  cen- 
tury making  its  way  from  the  tidewater  of  the  Atlantic  to  the 
western  slope  of  the  Alleghenies.  In  the  trans-Mississippi  re- 
gion, where  Nature  assumes  vaster  and  sterner  features,  and  where 
there  are  few  available  rivers  to  aid  in  the  work,  artificial  means 
of  transportation  are  imperatively  necessary,  and  must  first  he 
supplied.  The  old  process  must  be  inverted.  The  locomotive 
must  precede  the  plough,  and  the  town  the  farm.  Even  Kansas, 
with  all  its  fertility — except  for  a comparatively  short  distance 
along  its  eastern  border  — could  not  he  occupied  in  any  other 
way.  Colorado,  except  a few  of  the  best  of  its  gold  mines,  is 
practically  valueless  until  reached  by  rail.  New  Mexico,  with  its 
rich  resources,  pastoral,  agricultural,  and  mineral,  is  yet  almost 
an  unknown  land  to  our  people,  although  we  have  had  possession 
of  it  for  twenty  years.  Arizona  is  still  more  isolated  and  un- 
known, rich  as  it  is  in  mineral  treasures.  California  we  reach  by 
sea,  and  by  passing  through  the  territory  of  a foreign  nation. 
And  what  is  true  of  the  line  here  indicated  is  equally  true  of  that 
of  the  road  which  runs  up  the  valley  of  the  Platte,  and  which 
opens  a way  into  the  territory  of  the  great  Central  Plateau,  and 
of  the  remote  Northwest. 


THE  EXCURSION. 

At  the  invitation  of  John  D.  Perry,  Esq.,  President  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway  Company,  Eastern  Division,  a large  party 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  including  many  members  of  Congress, 
set  out  from  Philadelphia  on  the  31st  day  of  May,  1867,  to  make 
an  excursion  to  Fort  Harker,  in  Kansas,  225  miles  west  of  the 
Missouri  river,  then  the  terminus  of  that  road.  Handsome  and 
commodious  saloon  and  sleeping-cars  were  provided,  which  were 
taken  entirely  through  and  back,  and  everything  that  well-directed 
generosity  could  do  to  render  the  excursion  pleasant  and  agree- 
able, was  done.  Col.  Samuel  S.  Moon,  of  Philadelphia,  who  had 
charge  of  the  expedition,  will  be  long  and  cordially  remembered 
by  the  excursionists,  for  the  graceful  courtesies  extended  by  him 
to  the  members  of  the  party. 

As  we  progressed  through  State  after  State,  our  numbers 


THE  EXCURSION. 


9 


augmented,  and  every  accession  only  added  to  the  social  enjoy- 
ment. 

At  St.  Louis  we  remained  over  the  Sabbath,  (but  indeed  we 
only  reached  it  that  morning  for  a late  breakfast,)  and  on  Monday 
afternoon,  with  more  cars  and  more  excursionists,  we  set  otf  for 
Kansas,  arriving  at  Leavenworth  for  breakfast  on  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, 305  miles.  Here  we  had  a grand  reception  — a sumptuous 
dinner,  a ride  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  we  were  warmly  wel- 
comed by  Generals  Hancock  and  Hoffman,  and  their  ladies  ; then 
a ride  over  the  charming  heights  which  overlook  the  city,  the 
river,  and  the  beautiful  and  well-cultivated  little  valleys  which 
lay  beneath.  In  the  evening  we  ran  over  to  Lawrence,  where  we 
met  a similar  reception,  had  a spirited  meeting  and  quite  a plea- 
sant time.  The  next  day  we  started  up  the  matchless  valley  of 
the  Kansas,  dined  at  Topeka,  and  slept  at  Junction  City.  The  fol- 
lowing day  we  ran  on,  dined  at  Salina,  and  arrived  at  Clear  Creek, 
a short  distance  on  this  side  of  Fort  Harker,  then  the  end  of  the 
finished  road.  Here  the  narrative  is  taken  up  in  the  following 
letters.  But  my  object  in  this  publication  is  not  so  much  to  give 
an  account  of  the  trip  as  to  speak  of  the  country  and  the  great 
work  which  we  came  out  to  see. 

The  following  is  a list  of  the  excursionists  who  joined  the  party 
east  of  the  Mississippi  : 


Hon.  Simon  Cameron  and  wife,  Pa. 

Hon.  Benj.  H.  Brewster,  Att’y  Gen.,  Pa. 
Hon.  H.  A.  Risley,  Washington. 

Miss  Risley,  Washington. 

Hon.  A.  F.  Stevens  and  wife,  N.  H. 
Hon.  J.  A.  Nicholson  and  wife,  Bel. 

Hon.  A.  H.  Laflin,  wife  and  daughter, 
N.  Y. 

Hon.  W.  E.  Chandler,  wife  and  son, 
Washington. 

Hon.  Frank  Jordan  and  wife,  Pa. 

Hon.  C.  H.  Van  Wyck,  N.  Y. 

Hon.  B.  M.  Kitchen,  West  Virginia. 
Hon.  C.  B.  Hubbard,  West  Virginia. 
Hon.  J.  L.  Thomas,  Baltimore. 

Hon.  G.  S.  Orth,  wife  and  son,  Lafayette, 
Ind. 

Hon.  G.  W.  Julian,  Indiana. 

Hon.  W.  E.  Niblack,  Indiana. 

J.  B.  Lippincott  and  wife,  Philadelphia. 
W.  Hinchman,  Philadelphia. 

E.  M.  Paxson,  Philadelphia. 

John  Price  Wetherill,  Philadelphia. 
Samuel  S.  Moon,  Philadelphia. 


J.  B.  Mallery,  Philadelphia. 

Anthony  Taylor,  Philadelphia. 

J.  Norris  Robinson,  Philadelphia. 
Thomas  S.  Stewart,  Philadelphia. 

H.  C.  Thompson,  Philadelphia. 

J.  C.  Browne,  Philadelphia. 

B.  J.  Taylor,  Philadelphia. 

Charles  H,  Rogers,  Philadelphia. 

Maj.  A.  R.  Calhoun,  Philadelphia  Press. 
Francis  Wells,  Philadelphia  Bulletin. 

A.  K.  Pedrick,  Philadelphia  Inquirer. 

G.  B.  Van  Wyck,  N.  Y. 

John  C.  Wyman,  New  York. 

J.  R.  Young,  New  York  Tribune. 

J.  R.  Fitch,  New  York  World. 

N.  B.  Hogg  and  wife,  Pittsburgh. 

Miss  Nellie  Hall,  Pittsburgh. 

E.  B.  Kennedy,  Pittsburgh. 

Josiah  Copley,  Pittsburgh. 

Wm.  McManus,  Reading. 

Miss  McManus,  Reading. 

H.  E.  Steele,  Coatesville,  Pa. 

Mrs.  Burnside,  Pa. 

Mrs.  Br.  Bobbs,  Indianapolis. 


10 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND, 


Mrs.  Usher,  son  and  niece,  Indiana. 
D.  E.  Small,  York,  Pa. 

R.  R.  Robinson,  Wilmington,  Del. 
W.  W.  Taylor,  Baltimore. 

J.  Birckhead,  Baltimore. 

C.  C.  Fulton,  Baltimore  American. 
George  Abell,  Baltimore. 

B.  F.  Newcomer,  Baltimore. 

H.  A.  Riddle,  Baltimore. 

Wm.  W.  Taylor,  Baltimore. 
Frederick  Schley,  Frederick,  Md. 

G.  C.  Beaman,  Jr.,  Washington. 
Marquis  de  Chambrun,  Washington. 


Col.  J.  E.  Schley,  West  Virginia. 
Wm.  P.  Hubbard,  West  Virginia. 

J.  I.  Underwood,  Indiana. 

W.  L.  Woods,  Indiana. 

George  Rutledge,  London,  England. 
Cyrus  Yale,  New  Orleans. 

Gen.  G.  W.  Morgan,  Ohio. 

H.  J.  Budd,  Kansas. 

J.  H.  Riley,  Alta  California. 

H.  G.  Howard,  Detroit. 

M.  Rennick,  Detroit. 

Dr.  S.  S.  Ward,  Chicago  Jour,  of  Com 
J.  F.  Comstock,  Connecticut. 


The  following  named  excursionists  joined  the  party  at  St.  Louis 
and  points  west  of  the  Mississippi : 


Mr.  John  D.  Perry,  Pres’t  U.  P.  R.  W., 
E.  D. 

Col.  C.  B.  Lamborn,  Sec’y  U.  P.  R.  W., 
E.  D.,  and  wife,  St.  Louis. 

Mrs.  Perry  and  Miss  Perry,  St.  Louis. 
Miss  Annie  Pulliam,  St.  Louis. 

Miss  Grover,  St.  Louis. 

Edward  Hays,  St.  Louis. 

Charles  H.  Peck,  St.  Louis. 

John  R.  Shepley,  St.  Louis. 

R.  J.  Lockwood  and  two  sons,  St.  Louis. 
Mr.  Lackland,  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  Robbins,  St.  Louis. 

J.  P.  Collier,  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  D.  Collier,  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  C.  S.  Greeley  and  daughter,  St. Louis. 
Hon.  J.  S.  Thomas,  St.  Louis. 

H.  F.  Zeider,  St.  Louis  Republican. 

Wm.  Fay  el,  St.  Louis  Republican. 

D.  M.  Grisson,  St.  Louis  Ev'g  Dispatch. 
Mr.  Adolphus  Meier,  St.  Louis. 

John  Meier,  St.  Louis. 

George  D.  Hall,  St.  Louis. 

Miss  Doench,  St.  Louis. 

Mrs.  Rodgers,  St.  Louis. 

S.  W.  Andron,  St.  Louis. 

Hon.  W.  A.  Pile,  St.  Louis. 

Col.  C.  S.  Brown,  St.  Louis. 

Hon.  J.  B.  Henderson,  St.  Louis. 

H.  V.  Myers,  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  F.  B.  Shoemaker,  St.  Louis. 

C.  L.  Draper,  St.  Louis. 

W.  Stenngle,  West.  Post,  St.  Louis. 
Henry  C.  Lynch,  St.  Loujs. 

A.  H.  Martin,  St.  Louis. 


Lucian  Eaton,  St.  Louis. 

A.  H.  Hibbard,  St.  Louis. 

George  Partridge,  St.  Louis. 

Mrs.  T.  G.  Meier,  St.  Louis. 

Hon.  C.  H.  Branscomb,  St.  Louis. 

S.  C.  Burch,  Missouri  Democrat. 

Mrs.  McCullough,  St.  Louis. 

Mrs.  Brown,  St.  Louis. 

H.  A.  Stinson,  New  York. 

B.  C.  Riggs,  New  York. 

S.  J.  Colgate,  New  York. 

W.  H.  Brusin,  New  York. 

Mr.  Tillford,  New  York. 

Wm.  R.  Cole,  Baltimore. 

Col.  L.  M.  Dayton,  U.  S.  A. 

Gen.  Hoffman,  U.  S.  A. 

Gen.  Morgan,  U.  S.  A. 

Mrs.  Gen.  Morgan,  Fort  Leavenworth. 
Miss  Mills,  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Major  Page,  U.  S.  A. 

Col.  Irwin,  U.  S.  A. 

Capt.  C.  A.  Allegood,  U.  S.  A. 

Col.  Wilson,  U.  S.  A. 

Major-Gen.  Hancock,  U.  S.  A. 

Gen.  Haines,  U.  S.  A. 

Gen.  Hazen,  U.  S.  A. 

Col.  Brown,  U.  S.  A. 

Col.  McKissock,  Gen.  Sup.  P.  R.  R. 

M.  C.  Shoemaker,  Ohio. 

J.  W.  Miller,  Cincinnati  Commercial. 

Hon.  Mr.  Newcomb,  Missouri. 

Hon.  Lewds  V.  Bogy,  Washington. 
Alfred  Hibbard,  Tennessee. 

Gen.  J.  L.  Donaldson  and  wife,  U.  S.  A. 
Hon.  S.  J.  Crawford,  Gov.  of  Kansas. 


LETTERS. 


I. 

Arrival  at  Clear  Creek , the  end  of  the  Finished  Road — Meeting  of  the 
Excursionists  at  Clear  Creek  — Ellsworth  — Arrival  at  Fort  Harker  — 
Curious  Rocks  — Prairie  G-rass  — Country  last  passed  over  — Fort 
Harker — Another  Meeting — Leave-taking — Expedition  to  Pond  Creek. 

Ellsworth,  three  miles  beyond  ) 
Fort  Harker,  June  7,  1867.  } 

We  arrived  here  this  morning  from  Clear  Creek,  the  present  end  of 
the  road,  four  miles  east  of  this  place,  where  we  stayed  last  night, 
supped  in  a big  tent,  slept  in  the  cars,  and  where  we  had  a glorious 
meeting,  over  which  General  Cameron  presided,  and  at  which  Attorney 
General  Brewster,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  the  chief  orator.  His  speech 
was  one  of  classic  elegance,  and  rose  fully  up  to  the  inspiring  associa- 
tions with  which  we  were  surrounded.  Mr.  Perry,  the  President  of 
the  Company,  was  then  called  and  made  a few  felicitous  remarks.  He 
was  followed  by  Judge  TJsher,  of  Indiana,  who  spoke  eloquently  and 
in  perfect  accord  with  the  unanimous  sentiment  of  the  party,  that  the 
great  enterprise,  the  progress  of  which  we  had  come  to  witness,  was 
deserving  of  liberal  aid  from  both  government  and  people. 

The  following  is  the  published  report  of  this  meeting: 

Proceedings  of  a Meeting  of  Excursionists,  held  near  Fort  Harker,  Kansas,  at  the 
western  end  of  the  Track  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  as 
far  as  completed  on  this  Route. 

Clear  Creek,  Kansas,  June  6th,  1867. 

Hon.  H.  A.  Risley,  Assistant  Solicitor  United  States  Treasury,  called  the 
meeting  to  order  and  nominated  Hon.  Simon  Cameron,  United  States  Senate,  for 
President,  which  was  unanimously  agreed  to. 

The  following  named  officers  were  then  elected : 

Vice  Presidents  : — Hon.  A.  F.  Stevens,  N.  Hampshire  ; Hon.  J.  A.  Nicholson, 
Delaware  ; Hon.  A.  H.  Laflin,  New  York  ; Hon.  C.  H.  Van  Wyck,  New  York; 
Hon.  B.  M.  Kitchen,  W.  Virginia  ; Hon.  C.  D.  Hubbard,  W.  Virginia  ; Hon.  J. 
L.  Thomas,  Maryland ; Hon.  G.  S.  Orth,  Indiana ; Major  General  Hancock,  U. 
S.  A. ; General  Haines,  U.  S.  A.  ; General  Hazen,  U.  S.  A.  ; General  Donaldson, 
U.  S.  A.  ; General  G.  W.  Morgan,  Ohio  ; Hon.  J.  B.  Henderson,  Missouri  ; Hon. 
C.  A.  Newcomb,  Missouri  ; Hon.  W.  E.  Niblack,  Indiana. 

Secretaries  Alexander  K.  Pedrick,  of  Pennsylvania ; C.  C.  Fulton,  of 
Maryland. 


(11) 


12 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


Chas.  H.  Rogers,  President  of  the  Tradesmen’s  Bank,  Philadelphia,  moved  the 
appointment  of  a Committee  to  draft  resolutions  expressive  of  the  views  of  the 
excursionists.  The  motion  was  agreed  to. 

The  following  Committee  was  appointed,  viz. : 

Chas.  H.  Rogers,  Chairman,  Pennsylvania ; W.  W.  Taylor,  President  Union 
National  Bank,  Baltimore  ; J.  B.  Lippincott,  Pennsylvania  ; Frederick  Schley, 
Maryland  ; Col.  J.  E.  Schley,  West  Virginia  ; Cyrus  Yale,  New  Orleans  ; Hon. 
Frank  Jordan,  Secretary  of  State,  Pennsylvania. 

During  the  absence  of  the  Committee  to  prepare  resolutions,  an  address  was 
delivered  by  the  President,  Hon.  Simon  Cameron. 

Chas.  H.  Rogers,  Esq.,  on  behalf  of  the  Committee  on  resolutions,  presented 
the  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  viz.  : 

Whereas , An  excursion  party  from  the  States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
Delaware,  New  Hampshire,  Maryland,  District  of  Columbia,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illi- 
nois, Missouri,  West  Virginia,  Michigan  and  Kansas,  have  this  day  reached  Fort 
Ilarker,  Kansas,  a point  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  1,525 
miles  west  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  on  the  direct  route  to  California  and  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific,  and  now  desire  to  give  expression  to  their  views  in  regard  to  the 
Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  and  the  courtesies  which  they  have  received 
in  the  West ; and 

Whereas,  They  realize  as  their  own  belief,  and  that  of  the  American  people, 
that  our  mission  extends  as  a nation  not  only  to  the  promotion  of  liberty,  fra- 
ternity and  equality,  but  to  the  encouragement  of  great  works  of  art,  which  shall 
be  as  enduring  as  our  national  fame,  and  which  shall  bind  together  by  the  strong 
ties  of  commercial  interest  the  cities  on  the  shores  of  two  widely  separated 
Oceans ; and 

Whereas , Foremost  among  these  works  is  a Pacific  Railway,  a project  bold  and 
daring  in  its  inception,  and  worthy  of  a people  whose  enterprise  has  already 
studded  the  mountains  and  plains  of  a continent  with  the  evidences  of  national 
prosperity.  Therefore  we,  the  excursionists,  assembled  at  a point  almost  in  the 
centre  of  the  American  continent,  have 

Resolved,  That,  as  guests  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Co.,  Eastern  Division, 
having  travelled  over  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  the  same  cars,  with  every  possible 
comfort,  receiving  a generous  hospitality,  and  enjoying  a constant  succession  of 
agreeable  and  instructive  incidents,  we  hereby  tender  our  acknowledgments  to 
the  President,  Directors,  officers  and  agents  of  the  Company,  for  the  rare  oppor- 
tunity, the  liberal  provisions  for  our  comfort,  and  all  the  realizations  of  this 
remarkable  journey  from  the  seaboard  almost  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. 

Resolved,  That  we  congratulate  the  President  and  managers  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  upon  the  rapid  and  substantial  progress  of 
their  work,  a miracle  of  labor,  art  and  capital,  and  a splendid  monument  of  their 
energy  and  enterprise,  and  that  we  congratulate  the  nation  upon  the  prospect  of 
an  early  completion  of  this  magnificent  avenue  of  commerce,  which  promises  so 
much  for  the  rapid  settlement  of  an  almost  boundless  domain  — for  enlarging  the 
field  of  labor  and  production,  and  which  will  be  at  all  seasons  of  such  immeas- 
urable value  and  importance  to  our  country  in  times  of  war  and  of  peace. 

Resolved,  That  we  commend  to  the  fostering  care  of  the  Government  and  the 
people  of  the  United  States  this  great  undertaking  as  one  that  will  materially 
promote  the  development  of  the  mineral,  agricultural  and  commercial  resources 
of  the  extreme  Western  States  and  Territories,  and  as  a great  highway  between 
the  oceans,  believing  that  it  will  add  immeasurably  to  the  wealth  and  prosperity 
of  the  nation,  to  provide  the  necessary  aid  for  its  early  completion. 

Resolved,  That  our  acknowledgments  are  also  due  to  the  citizens  of  St.  Louis, 
Leavenworth,  Lawrence,  Topeka,  Salina,  Junction  City,  Tonganoxie,  Hermann, 
and  the  various  cities  and  towns  on  our  way,  and  to  Gen.  Hancock,  U.  S.  A., 
commanding  the  department  of  Missouri,  and  his  associate  officers  on  the  line  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division,  for  civilities  and  courtesies  grace- 


MEETING  OF  THE  EXCURSIONISTS. 


13 


fully  and  generously  bestowed,  which  lent  additional  charm  to  our  journey  and 
will  be  long  remembered. 

Resolved,  That  our  thanks  are  tendered  to  the  officers  of  the  Pennsylvania  Cen- 
tral, Pittsburgh,  Columbus  & Cincinnati,  Columbus  & Indianapolis,  Terre  Haute 
& Indianapolis,  St.  Louis,  Terra  Haute  & Alton,  and  the  Pacific  and  Missouri 
River  Railroads,  for  facilities  and  courtesies  received  on  the  roads  respectively 
under  their  supervision,  each  of  them  an  important  link  in  the  lengthened  line 
we  have  so  happily  traversed. 

Frederick  Schley,  Esq.,  of  Maryland,  moved  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions, 
and  they  were  unanimously  adopted. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Harris  Brewster,  Attorney  General  of  Pennsylvania,  sustained 
the  resolutions  in  an  address,  enforcing  the  claims  of  the  enterprise  upon  the 
Government  and  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

John  D.  Perry,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern  Division, 
acknowledged  the  compliment  to  the  Company. 

Judge  Usher,  of  Indiana,  spoke  on  behalf  of  the  West. 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  re-assemble  at  a convenient  opportunity. 

SIMON  CAMERON,  President. 

Alexander  K.  PedrICk,  { Secretaries. 

C.  C.  Fulton,  j 

After  a quiet  night’s  rest  in  the  sleeping-cars,  we  were  summoned 
to  an  early  breakfast,  after  which  we  took  ambulances  for  Ellsworth. 
This  is  a bustling  and  really  pleasant  place,  nearly'  six  months  old, 
and  containing  fifty  or  sixty  stores  and  dwellings.  It  is  located  on  a 
beautiful  piece  of  land  on  the  bank  of  Smoky  Hill,  which  is  here  about 
the  width  of  the  Conemaugh  at  Blairsville,  but  deeper.  The  country 
around  here  is  beautiful.  The  river  and  its  numerous  tributaries  are 
skirted  on  either  side  with  belts  of  timber,  all  the  rest  being  prairie. 
Above  the  bluffs  the  country'  is  undulating  — more  so  than  it  is  in  the 
more  eastern  part  of  Kansas.  The  soil  is  altogether  different,  being 
a strong  sandy  loam,  in  some  places  thin,  in  others  several  feet  in 
thickness.  It  seems  to  be  quite  destitute  of  lime ; while  in  the  portion 
of  Kansas  lying  east  of  Salina  (fifty  miles  west  of  Fort  Riley7),  the 
only7  stone  is  limestone.  Here,  since  we  struck  the  “divide,”  some 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  back,  the  only  varieties  of  stone  I have 
seen  are  two  very  dissimilar  kinds  of  sandstone — one  a seamless  rock 
of  veryr  pure  white  sand  of  fine  grain,  and  so  friable  that  it  can  be 
pulverized  between  the  thumb  and  finger;  the  other,  which  immedi- 
ately overlays  it,  is  also  fine  grained  and  pure,  but  very  hard  and 
irregularly  laminated. 

Having  written  thus  far,  we  adjourned  to  Fort  Harker. 

Yesterday  afternoon,  a short  distance  before  we  reached  the  present 
termination  of  the  road,  we  visited  what  is  called  the  “Pulpit  Rock,” 
or,  as  it  is  sometimes  termed,  the  “ Mushroom  Rock,”  so  called  because 
it  resembles  a mushroom  in  having  a broad  table  or  cap  poised  upon  a 
comparatively7  slender  stem.  The  pedestal  or  stem  is  about  ten  feet 
high  and  five  or  six  in  diameter.  This  is  composed  of  that  soft  and 


14 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


easily  pulverized  sandstone  spoken  of  above,  while  the  cap,  which  is 
oval  in  form,  but  nearly  round,  and  on  the  under  side  very  much 
resembling  an  enormous  duck  without  head  or  tail,  twenty  feet  long 
by  perhaps  seventeen  or  eighteen  wide  and  about  ten  thick,  is  com- 
posed of  that  hard  sandstone  of  which  I have  spoken.  The  upper 
side  is  somewhat  rough  and  fractured.  To  see  that  huge  block  of 
stone  so  nicely  balanced  upon  so  narrow  and  so  friable  a base  is  very 
curious,  and,  in  spite  of  reason  and  experience,  the  thought  that  it 
might  grind  it  to  powder  at  any  moment  will  suggest  itself.  There  it 
stands  on  the  open  and  desolate  prairie,  and  there  it  has  stood  for 
ages.  At  a little  distance  there  is  a heavy  outcropping  of  the  same 
kind  of  rocks,  some  of  the  forms  of  which  are  very  curious. 

In  some  localities  that  soft  sand  rock  is  strongly  impregnated  with 
iron  ; but  it  is  generally  pure,  and  would  make  very  good  glass.  Near 
Fort  Harker,  (where  I am  now  writing  in  a tent  placed  at  my  disposal 
by  Major  General  Hancock),  there  is  what  was  at  one  time  a high 
column  of  this  sandstone,  but  it  is  now  crumbled  into  blocks  and  loose 
sand,  presenting,  in  the  distance,  the  appearance  of  the  ruins  of  an 
ancient  marble  temple  or  tower.  Some  of  our  party,  before  we  reached 
it,  insisted  that  it  was  a building  in  ruins ; but  I knew  that  that  could 
not  be. 

This  side  of  that  “ divide  ” of  which  I have  spoken  we  have  been  in 
the  buffalo-grass  region  ; and  here  at  Fort  Harker,  and  all  over  these 
widely  extended  regions,  it  is  the  predominant  grass.  It  grows  in 
small  tufts,  very  much  like  timothy,  and  is  nearly  of  the  same  shade 
of  green,  but  is  finer  and  more  delicate  in  the  blade.  In  the  manner 
of  its  growth  and  seeding  it  is  more  like  our  blue  grass ; and  although 
I have  seen  some  of  it  that  had  shot  to  seed,  I have  seen  none  six 
inches  high.  It  is  very  hardy ; for  although  in  this  encampment  it 
sustains  the  trampling  of  hundreds  of  men  and  animals,  it  seems  to  be 
as  healthy  and  flourishing  as  that  on  the  open  prairie. 

I have  spoken  more  particularly  of  this  grass  than  some  readers 
might  deem  worth  while ; but  when  we  remember  that  it  covers  mil- 
lions of  acres  of  territory,  that  it  is  probably  the  most  nutritious  grass 
that  grows,  and  that  it  is  capable  of  feeding  to  extreme  fatness  in  both 
summer  and  winter  pillions  of  cattle  and  sheep,  we  will  see  that  it  is 
not  an  unimportant  topic.  Whether  it  would  grow  in  our  State  I 
cannot  say;  but,  on  my  return,  I intend,  if  I can,  to  bring  a little  of 
the  seed  with  me. 

The  country  to  the  west  of  Fort  Eiley  for  sixty  miles,  through 
which  we  have  passed,  is  one  of  extreme  beauty  and  fertility.  The 
valley  of  “ Solomon’s  Fork,”  as  it  is  called,  which  comes  in  from  the 


FORT  HARKER — ANOTHER  MEETING. 


15 


W.  N.  W.,  about  forty  miles  west  of  Fort  Riley,  is  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  and  fertile  regions  we  have  seen ; and  although  the  rail- 
road only  reached  it  this  spring,  I am  informed  that  a thousand  set- 
tlers are  in  it  already.  Solomon  City— near  where  the  railroad  crosses 
the  stream — is  a brisk  and  rather  pretty  business  place.  It  looks  like 
a town  that  is  destined  to  thrive.  Salina,  another  new  town,  a few 
miles  further  west,  is  still  more  thrifty,  containing,  according  to  the 
best  information  I could  get,  nearly  two  thousand  people.  We  dined 
there  yesterday.  I mingled  for  a while  with  the  Denver  ox-teamsters, 
a hardy,  robust,  and  sociable  class  of  men.  One  little  party,  who  were 
cooking  their  dinner,  wanted  me  to  go  with  them.  They  said  if  I 
wished  to  go  to  Denver,  it  was  the  best  way  I could  go.  I asked  how 
long  it  would  take  to  make  the  trip?  “Only  a month  and  a half.” 
“Are  you  not  afraid  of  the  Indians  ?”  I asked.  “ No ; you  fellows  out 
East  think  and  talk  more  about  the  Indians  than  we  do,”  was  the 
answer.  I declined  the  invitation. 

The  Union  Pacific  Railway  from  the  Missouri  to  Fort  Harker  is  a 
substantial  and  good  road  — better  than  any  we  found  between  Steu- 
benville and  the  Mississippi.  Between  Salina  and  this  place,  where 
the  road  runs  across  a long  southern  bend  in  the  river,  there  is  some 
heavy  cutting  and  filling. 

Fort  Harker  is  about  two  miles  east  of  Ellsworth,  on  a beautiful 
piece  of  ground  at  a moderate  elevation  above  the  river.  There  are 
but  few  valuable  buildings,  nor  is  it  likely  there  ever  will  be  more; 
for  the  railroad  will  render  even  a military  post  at  this  place  unneces- 
sary. General  Hancock  declared  that  every  forty  miles  of  this  road 
finished  enabled  the  Government  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  a 
regiment  of  men,  at  a saving,  in  this  distant  region,  of  more  than  a 
million  of  dollars  a year. 

At  Fort  Harker,  this  afternoon,  we  had  an  enthusiastic  adjourned 
meeting  of  the  excursionists,  at  which  Senator  John  B.  Henderson, 
of  Missouri,  presided,  Gen.  Cameron  and  a small  party  of  friends 
having  returned  last  evening.  Brief  but  animated  addresses  were 
made  by  Hon.  John  B.  Henderson,  of  Missouri;  Major  General  Han- 
cock, U.  S.  A. ; Hon.  G.  S.  Orth,  M.  C.  of  Indiana  ; Hon.  A.  F.  Stevens, 
of  New  Hampshire  ; Hon.  J.  A.  Nicholson,  of  Delaware;  A.  H.  Laflin, 
of  New  York;  Wm.  E.  Niblack,  of  Indiana;  Hon.  ¥m.  E.  Chandler, 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Washington ; Hon.  C.  D.  Hub- 
bard, West  Virginia ; Hon.  B.  M.  Kitchen,  West  Virginia;  Hon.  Frank 
Jordan,  Sec.  Com.  Pennsylvania;  Hon.  Jas.  S.  Thomas,  Mayor  of  St. 
Louis;  Hon.  C.  H.  Clark,  of  Kansas;  Hon.  R.  F.  Van  Horn,  of  Mis- 
souri ; Gen.  Thos.  L.  Price,  of  Missouri ; Hon.  C,  A.  Newcomb,  of  Mis- 


16 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


souri ; Francis  Wells,  of  the  Philadelphia  Bulletin ; Judge  Kingman, 
of  Kansas;  Hon.  J.  P.  Usher,  of  Indiana;  and  Hon.  C.  H.  Branscomb, 
of  Missouri. 

The  sentiments  uttered  by  all  these  gentlemen  were  in  perfect  accord 
with  the  resolutions  adopted  at  the  first  meeting.  All  seemed  to  be 
deeply  impressed  with  the  grandeur  and  utility  of  the  great  enter- 
prise which  they  had  come  so  far  to  witness,  and  with  not  a single 
dissent  they  commended  it  to  the  fostering  care  of  the  National  Leg- 
islature. The  next  adjournment  was  to  a large  tent,  where  an  excel- 
lent dinner  awaited  us.  Soon  after  dinner,  those  of  the  excursionists 
who  are  going  further  west  took  leave  of  their  friends  who  are  re- 
turning to  their  homes,  including  all  the  ladies.  Some  fifteen  gentle- 
men of  the  party,  with  Mr.  Perry,  the  President  of  this  road,  set  out 
to-morrow  for  Pond  Creek,  accompanied  by  Major  General  Hancock, 
with  a small  military  force,  who  is  going  west,  in  pursuance  of  his 
duties  as  commander  of  this  department  of  the  service.  Pond  Creek 
is  two  hundred  miles  further  up  the  Smoky  Hill,  and  west  of  Fort 
Harker.  I return  to-morrow  to  meet  the  Senatorial  party,  headed  by 
Senator  Wade,  (who  have  just  returned  from  the  Platte,  and  are 
coming  up  this  road,)  and  accompany  them  in  their  excursion  over 
this  road. 


LETTEK  II. — Tornadoes  and  Bain — Party  to  Pond  Greek  — A Ranch 
— Solidity  of  the  Earth — Wells  — Length  of  the  Smoky  Sill. 

Salina,  (Kansas,)  June  10,  1867. 

I have  been  here  since  Saturday  afternoon,  detained  by  the  washing 
out  of  a small  culvert  below  here.  We  hope  to  get  off  at  noon.  On 
Friday  night  and  Saturday  we  had  a succession  of  as  heavy  showers 
as  I ever  saw.  All  the  streams  were  swollen  to  the  size  of  little  rivers, 
and  the  Smoky  Hill  is  said  to  be  higher  than  it  has  been  for  six  or 
seven  years.  The  level  prairie  on  which  the  town  stands  was  literally 
one  broad  shallow  sheet  of  water  on  Saturday  evening. 

I parted  from  my  friends,  who  are  going  to  Pond  Creek  — two  hun- 
dred miles  east  of  Ellsworth  — on  Saturday  morning.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  some  twenty  gentlemen,  among  whom  were  Major  General 
Hancock,  John  D.  Perry,  Esq.,  President  of  this  road,  Mr.  Shoemaker, 
Chief  Contractor,  Hon.  Messrs.  Thomas,  of  Maryland,  Hubbard,  of 
West  Yirginia,  Mr.  E.  H.  Kennedy,  of  Pittsburg,  several  correspond- 
ents of  Eastern  papers,  and  others;  altogether  a very  pleasant  party. 
It  was  at  first  arranged  that  I should  go,  but  afterwards  that  I should 


TORNADOES — RAIN  — A RANCH. 


IT 


return  to  Lawrence  or  Leavenworth  to  meet  the  Senatorial  party—- 
some  forty  in  all  — - consisting  of  Messrs.  Wade,  Trumbull,  Covode,  and 
others,  who  have  just  returned  from  their  excursion  over  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway  of  the  Platte.  I like  the  arrangement  very  well. 

On  Friday  afternoon,  after  the  main  body  of  the  excursionists  had 
left  us,  we  had  a tremendous  hurricane,  the  severest,  Gen.  Hancock 
said,  that  he  had  ever  seen  on  the  plains.  One  tent  was  torn  up 
and  prostrated ; another  was  drawn  from  its  fastenings.  A frame 
building  was  blown  down  and  scattered  over  the  prairie  as  if  it  had 
been  dry  leaves.  We  dared  not  remain  in  the  tents,  and  it  was  hard 
work  to  bear  up  against  the  wind.  But  there  was  no  danger.  The 
scene  was  truly  sublime,  especially  in  the  northwest,  where  the  dark 
clouds,  tinged  with  sunshine,  tossed  in  the  tempest  in  the  wildest  con- 
fusion, causing  a strange  optical  illusion  that  drew  the  attention  of  all 
the  party  — the  appearance  of  avast  lake  with  well-defined  grassy 
shore  on  the  near  side,  and  huge  and  rugged  mountains  on  the  farther 
shore.  The  storm  lasted  about  an  hour  and  a half,  and  then  partially 
lulled. 

Some  time  in  the  night,  while  we  were  all  in  our  tents,  it  began 
again,  and  was  little,  if  any,  less  violent,  and  continued  for  about  two 
hours.  This  was  accompanied  by  the  broadest  and  most  vivid  flashes 
of  sheet-lightning  I ever  saw,  and  so  incessant  that  there  was  hardly 
an  interval  of  one  second  of  darkness.  This,  too,  passed  over,  and  I 
fell  asleep.  But  long  before  daylight  I was  aroused  again  by  the 
dashing  of  rain  upon  the  canvas,  as  if  the  windows  of  heaven  had 
been  opened.  After  a while  I put  my  hand  out  upon  the  ground,  and 
found  that  the  water  had  filled  the  ditch,  and  was  flowing  into  the 
tent.  I had  no  light,  but  I got  up  and  put  my  blankets,  &c.  upon  a 
table,  placed  other  things  upon  boxes,  then  mounted  the  table  and 
listened  to  the  fierce  hissing  and  dashing  of  the  rain  upon  the  tent. 
At  length  morning  dawned,  and  when  we  went  out  all  was  quiet  and 
comparatively  pleasant.  About  noon  it  poured  down  again,  and  then 
again,  causing  the  flood  of  which  I have  already  spoken. 

About  nine  o’clock  I took  leave  of  my  friends,  and  left  the  Fort  in 
company  with  R.  H.  Shoemaker,  Esq.,  Assistant  Manager  of  the  road,  and 
Mr.  Wallace,  in  a spring  wagon,  to  go  to  the  cars  at  Clear  Creek,  three 
or  four  miles  distant.  On  the  way  we  came  to  what  is  called  a ranch. 
When  I made  some  inquiries  about  it,  Mr.  Wallace  kindly  proposed  to 
leave  me  and  return  for  me  in  an  hour.  Introducing  me  to  Mr.  Fisher, 
one  of  the  contractors,  I was  invited  in  and  had  a very  pleasant 
time.  There  were  eight  ladies,  mostly  the  wives  of  the  contractors, 
lively,  intelligent  and  accomplished,  and  a number  of  gentlemen.  We 
2 


18 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


had  a pleasant  and  interesting  conversation,  and  partook  of  a bottle 
of  Missouri  champagne  — very  good.  Mr.  Fisher  gave  me  several 
specimens  of  stones  and  clay;  one  of  the  latter  I think  is  valuable, 
being  more  purely  white  than  chalk,  and  so  soft  that  it  had  to  he 
handled  carefully  to  avoid  pulverizing  it. 

As  many  readers  may  wish  to  know  what  kind  of  a habitation  a 
ranch  is,  I shall  attempt  a description  of  this  one.  First,  an  excava- 
tion is  made  in  the  side  of  a bank  or  bluff,  the  back  part  of  which  is 
left  nearly  as  perpendicular  as  a wall.  A stone  wall,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  long  and  some  ten  feet  high,  with  a number  of  glass  win- 
dows in  it,  runs  along  the  front  of  this  excavation,  leaving  a clear 
space  of  sixteen  feet  by  one  hundred  and  twenty.  From  the  top  of 
the  wall  to  the  bank,  small  rough  logs  are  laid  thickly,  and  upon 
these  what  I took  to  be  a large  mass  of  prairie  grass.  The  whole  is 
overlaid  with  a heavy  coating  of  earth,  sufficient  to  keep  out  the 
heaviest  rain;  for  notwithstanding  the  deluge  of  the  night  before, 
this  ranch  was  as  dry  as  if  not  a drop  had  fallen.  It  was  a rough  but 
really  comfortable  habitation,  and  must  be  very  warm  in  winter. 
The  bank  here  was  composed  of  strong  particolored  clay,  of  a light 
stone  color,  streaked  with  vermilion.  I picked  up  a small  specimen. 
There  are  many  ranches  in  that  region,  some  of  them  rude  enough. 
I saw  a few  which  were  mere  burrows. 

So  solid  is  the  earth  out  here,  that  wells  are  dug  twenty-five  or 
thirty  feet  deep,  and  used  without  walling.  I examined  one  to-day  at 
the  railroad  station  at  this  place,  which  is  not  yet  finished.  It  is 
about  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  now  dug  to  the  depth  of  twenty- 
five  feet.  It  is  round,  and  the  sides,  which  are  perfectly  perpendicu- 
lar, have  more  the  appearance  of  rough  plastered  walls  than  earth. 
From  top  to  bottom  there  seems  to  be  no  difference  in  the  soil  or  earth. 
It  is  a fine  grayish  sand,  similar  to  the  sand  or  mud  bars  of  the  Mis- 
souri. The  water  of  the  wells  here  is  pure  and  pleasant  to  the  taste, 
and  if  wells  are  dug  to  the  proper  depth  they  never  fail.  The  streams 
are  narrow  in  their  channels,  and  have  high  banks,  fringed  with  trees 
of  various  kinds,  principally  cottonwood.  These  remarks,  with  re- 
gard to  the  compactness  of  the  earth,  wells,  water  and  streams,  apply 
to  all  the  State  of  Kansas  as  far  as  I have  seen  it  — about  225  miles. 
In  many  sections  there  are  very  fine  springs. 

The  Smoky  Hill,  which  has  its  sources  not  far  this  side  of  Pike’s 
Peak,  and  has  a course  of  not  less  than  four  hundred  miles  above  this 
place,  is  still  rising,  and  has  overflowed  some  extensive  flats  above. 
The  rain  must  have  been  tremendous  up  towards  the  mountains. 


CHANGE  IN  THE  SOIL — BUFFALO  GRASS  DYING  OUT.  19 


LETTEK  III. — Continuance  of  the  Flood — Change  in  the  Soil  — Buffalo 
Grass  dying  out  — Wild  Plums  and  other  Fruits. 

Salina,  Kansas,  June  12. 

The  river  continues  to  rise,  and  is  beginning  to  overflow  the  flats. 
It  is  impossible,  while  this  state  of  things  continues,  to  run  trains 
through.  I am  consequently  detained  longer  than  I expected.  But  1 
need  not  be  idle,  for  I have  already  seen  enough  to  occupy  me  for 
some  days  in  writing  out  my  impressions  of  this  most  beautiful  of  all 
the  regions  I have  ever  seen. 

About  the  meridian  of  this  place  the  character  of  Kansas  changes — 
not  so  much  in  conformation  and  general  appearance  as  in  geology 
and  the  composition  of  the  soil.  East  of  this,  that  is  below  this,  the 
only  stone  is  a magnesian  limestone.  Of  this,  and  of  its  excellence  as 
a building  stone,  I shall  speak  more  fully  hereafter.  Here  the  sand- 
stone region  commences  — of  the  varieties  of  which  I have  already 
spoken.  Below  this  the  soil  is  almost  black,  and  extremely  fertile. 
Here,  on  this  extensive  river  flat,  it  is  quite  dark-colored ; but  as  we 
mount  upon  the  higher  grounds  to  the  west,  it  is  a rich  dark  brown  — 
in  some  few  places  rather  thin,  but  generally  several  feet  in  thickness. 
It  is  evidently  strongly  impregnated  with  iron,  and  to  the  eye  is 
better  than  any  upland  soil  I ever  saw  in  Pennsylvania.  In  our  State 
it  would  be  first-rate  wheat  land ; but  whether  wheat  can  ever  be 
successfully  grown  on  the  plains  west  of  this  is  a question  I cannot 
answer.  Colonel  Fisher,  who  lives  more  than  thirty  miles  west  of 
this,  in  a place  where  the  brown  stone,  of  which  I have  before  spoken, 
abounds,  told  me  that  it  produced  root  crops  admirably,  especially 
sweet  potatoes.  The  land  of  which  he  spoke  is  far  from  the  river  and 
fairly  within  the  buffalo  grass  region. 

Here,  near  Salina,  the  buffalo  grass  begins;  but  it  is  evidently 
yielding  to  the  coarser  and  stronger  grasses  of  the  prairie.  Up  about 
Fort  Harker  it  predominates.  The  idea,  that  as  the  buffaloes  are  driven 
back  the  buffalo  grass  ceases,  is  one  that  everywhere  prevails  in  this 
country.  I think  it  is  well  founded.  My  own  opinion  is,  that  this  is 
the  only  grass  that  can  bear  the  heavy  trampling  of  those  vast  herds. 
Hence,  small  as  it  is,  it  keeps  possession  as  long  as  the  buffaloes  remain ; 
but  when  they  are  driven  off,  the  larger  and  coarser  grasses  come  in 
and  smother  it.  We  talk  in  the  East  of  prairie  grass  as  if  it  were  a 
distinct  variety;  but  there  are  several  varieties.  In  no  place  did  I see 
so  many  and  so  beautiful  flowers  as  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort 
Harker.  I saw  two  varieties  of  cactus  — one  the  common  thick-lobed 
cactus  which  we  often  see  in  gardens  in  our  State ; the  other  is  very 


20 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


curious  and  pretty,  consisting  generally  of  a congeries  of  globular 
masses,  each  made  up  of  many  points,  all  curiously  connected  by  a 
net-work  of  delicate  but  strong  external  fibres  and  pricks.  They  are 
said  to  bear  pretty  flowers,  but  they  are  not  yet  in  bloom. 

Along  the  margins  of  the  streams  up  in  that  part  of  the  country 
there  are  boundless  quantities  of  wild  plums  of  excellent  quality. 
Colonel  Fisher  told  me  that  he  could  load  wagons  with  them.  Ladies 
use  them  largely  for  preserves,  jellies,  &c.  Wild  grapes  and  goose- 
berries abound. 

So  far  as  I saw,  the  buffalo  grass  region,  or  “the  plains,”  as  this 
portion  of  our  continent  has  long  been  called,  is  a beautiful  and 
cheerful-looking  country  — gently  undulating,  and  here  and  there  pre- 
senting hills  or  buttes  that  partake  of  the  character  of  ruggedness.  In 
some  places,  distant  from  watercourses,  it  looks  like  the  ocean,  and, 
like  the  sea,  it  has  its  wrecks;  for  look  over  it  when  and  where  you 
will,  you  see  the  stark  remains  of  its  monarchs,  the  buffaloes,  bleaching 
in  the  sun  and  wind.  Waste  and  desolate  as  it  appears  to  the  weary 
traveller  in  its  natural  condition,  it  only  awaits  the  hand  of  enlight- 
ened industry  and  taste  to  make  it  beautiful  and  home-like  — more 
beautiful  than  Illinois,  for  it  is  not  so  monotonous. 

Of  the  meteorology  of  this  country  I of  course  cannot  speak  with 
confidence.  It  is  said  by  some  to  be  too  dry  for  successful  agri- 
culture. Perhaps  it  is;  but  surely  we  saw  rain  enough.  Almost  con- 
stantly there  is  a fresh  and  invigorating  breeze,  often  rising  into  a 
stiff  gale.  This  is  the  clearest  atmosphere  I ever  saw.  Men  have  to 
be  careful  how  they  estimate  distances  here  by  the  eye,  for  objects 
miles  off  look  as  if  they  might  be  reached  on  foot  in  a few  minutes. 
Chills  and  fevers,  I am  told,  never  originate  here,  and  it  was  a frequent 
remark  among  our  excursionists  — “How  healthy  the  people  look!” 
The  sunsets  and  the  nocturnal  heavens  are  far  more  glorious  than 
they  are  with  us. 

The  most  serious  want  of  this  country  is  timber,  which  becomes 
more  and  more  scarce  as  we  go  west.  So  far,  wood  for  fuel,  here  at 
Salina,  is  worth  eight  dollars  per  cord ; but  until  more  can  be  grown 
it  cannot  but  become  more  and  more  scarce  and  expensive.  Ho  coal, 
properly  so  called, rhas  yet  been  mined  in  this  part  of  the  State ; but 
it  exists  in  abundance  in  several  localities  near  the  lower  end  of  this 
road,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  and  in  Colorado,  east  and 
south  of  Pike's  Peak,  on  the  line  of  this  road.  In  this  neighborhood 
a vein  of  lignite  exists,  some  six  or  seven  feet  thick.  I have  a small 
sample  of  it;  but  of  its  value  as  fuel  I am  not  able  to  speak  confi- 
dently. The  time  will  come,  however,  when  there  will  be  no  difficulty 


PRICES  OF  LUMBER  AND  OTHER  COMMODITIES, 


21 


about  fuel,  for  trees  grow  vigorously  and  rapidly  wherever  I have 
seen  them  planted;  and  as  railroads  are  multiplied,  as  they  will  be? 
and  other  deposits  of  coal  discovered — of  which  there  are  indications 
in  many  places — that  difficulty  will  be  overcome. 

Lumber  for  building  is  procured  both  here  and  at  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis,  and  sometimes  at  Cincinnati,  and  sells  at  this  place  at  about 
the  following  prices : 


Per  m. 

Pine — clear  stuff,  planed,  Ho.  1,  . 

$110 

U u » 1C  u 2, 

$95  @105 

“ Common  “ .... 

. 70@85 

Pine  flooring,  worked,  ..... 

$70,  80,  90 

Siding,  (weatherboarding)  .... 

. 45  @60 

Shingles,  pine — per  m 

10  @11 

“ Dimension  stuff,”  (scantling,)  Pine,  . 

70 

Cottonwood  boards,  

45  @50 

Cottonwood  shingles, 

. 4.50  @6 

From  these  figures  the  cost  of  building  up  here  can  be  proximately 
estimated.  Bents  are  high.  The  “ Goddard  House,”  a tolerably  large, 
but  flimsy  and  roughly  finished  building,  almost  entirely  built  of  cot- 
tonwood, rents  for  $1500  a year.  A smaller  but  somewhat  better 
finished  house,  where  I am  staying,  brings,  I am  told,  $1800  a year. 
Flour  is  selling  at  $22  a barrel,  and  potatoes  $2.75.  The  soil  yields 
enormously  as  a general  thing,  and  farming  is  a remunerative  busi- 
ness. Cattle,  I am  informed,  only  require  of  from  four  to  six  weeks 
feeding  in  the  winter,  and  hay,  cut  ad  libitum  on  the  prairies,  is  the 
cheapest  thing  in  this  country. 

I have  thus  endeavored  to  give  you  a fair  report,  leaving  the  reader 
to  ponder  the  pros  and  cons. 

The  report  now  is  that  the  river  began  to  fall  this  morning.  We 
expect  to  get  off  this  afternoon. 


LETTEB  IY. — The  Flood — The  Question  of  Routes. 

Salina,  Kansas,  June  12,  1867. — Afternoon. 

The  “Smoky”  still  continues  to  swell,  contrary  to  the  report  this 
morning  that  it  was  falling.  It  has  overspread  the  flats  for  miles  in 
places.  This  town  now  stands  on  a large  island.  No  trains  can  get 
out  to-day,  so  I must  be  content  to  abide  one  day  more.  The  report 
now  is  that  the  Senatorial  party  will  be  at  Junction  City  this  evening, 
and  will  probably  be  here  for  dinner  to-morrow.  If  a train  should  go 


22 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


out  in  the  morning  I shall  meet  the  party  at  Abeliene,  halfway 
between  this  and  Junction  City,  and  return  with  them. 

The  Smoky  Hill,  in  flood,  has  all  the  characteristics  of  a great 
river — rising  day  after  day  after  the  rain  has  ceased  and  the  ground 
become  dry  — and  certainly  this  morning  it  has  the  appearance  of  a 
great  river.  Its  heavy  volume  of  water,  of  the  same  color  as  the  Mis- 
souri, rolls  onward,  in  a smooth  but  by  no  means  slow  current.  So 
far  as  heard,  the  railroad  has  sustained  no  serious  damage.  This 
flood  is  the  greatest  that  has  occurred  on  this  river  for  nine  years. 
The  Solomon,  which  comes  in  about  twelve  miles  below,  is  higher 
than  it  was  ever  known  to  be. 

THE  QUESTION  OF  ROUTES. 

At  this  place  the  Santa  Fe  trade  at  present  concentrates.  Wagons 
drawn  by  oxen,  and  manned  by  Mexicans,  are  almost  continually  to 
be  found  at  the  railroad  station.  These  Mexicans  are  singular-look- 
ing beings,  as  swarthy  as  Indians,  and  many  of  them  have  the  Indian 
features  more  or  less  strongly  marked.  Hull,  good-natured,  but  pro- 
foundly ignorant,  they  move  about  their  work  like  machines.  They 
are  quite  cheerful,  and  the  soft  and  musical  tones  of  their  language  or 
patois  are  in  strong  contrast  with  the  strong  and  harsh  utterances  of 
their  Anglo-Saxon  brethren  of  the  Denver  trade. 

£ I meet  out  here  many  intelligent  men  who  are  more  or  less  familiar 
with  New  Mexico.  Although  broken  up  by  mountains,  it  has  many  very 
fine  valleys,  fertile  and  beautiful,  and  they  all  unite  in  representing  it 
as  immensely  rich  in  minerals,  especially  gold  and  silver.  But  they 
say  that  it  is  impossible  that  either  the  agricultural,  the  pastoral,  or 
the  mineral  wealth  of  that  territory  can  ever  be  developed  until  it  is 
united  with  the  rest  of  the  country  by  rail.  To  work  its  mines 
requires  ponderous  machinery,  which  it  is  simply  impossible  to  trans- 
port by  the  existing  means  of  conveyance ; and  even  agriculture  must 
be  carried  on  in  the  most  primitive  modes  until  a railway  shall  bring 
the  improved  implements  of  the  day  into  that  isolated  and  benighted 
region. 

But  even  more  important  than  all  these  is  the  opening  of  the 
avenue  through  which  shall  flow  into  that  degraded  and  dark- 
minded  population  the  lights  of  true  Christian  civilization.  Both 
priests  and  people  have  fallen  so  low  that  nothing  but  influences  from 
without  can  be  instrumental  in  raising  them  up.  They  are  now  our 
fellow-citizens,  as  well  as  our  fellow-men,  and  as  such  they  have  claims 
upon  us  which  we  may  not  lightly  ignore. 

With  the  lights  we  now  have  no  one  can  pretend  to  estimate  how 


THE  QUESTION  OF  ROUTES. 


23 


important  a member  of  this  Union  New  Mexico  may  yet  become,  or  to 
calculate  the  vastness  of  its  various  resources.  Neither  can  the  value 
of  its  trade  be  calculated  — the  enormous  amount  of  machinery,  of 
agricultural  implements,  and  in  short,  everything  that  a civilized 
people  need. 

There  is  a strong  desire  on  the  part  of  the  people  on  this  side  of  the 
Mississippi  that  the  Union  Pacific  Eailway  Company  shall  at  once 
extend  their  route  into  New  Mexico,  whether  they  go  to  Denver  and 
thence  via  Salt  Lake  City  to  California  or  not.  They  contend  that 
the  route  through  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  will  do  infinitely  more 
to  develop  the  resources  of  our  great  interior,  as  well  as  be  a better 
route  to  California,  than  the  more  direct  but  more  mountainous  line 
by  way  of  Salt  Lake,  and  across  the  Sierra  Nevada,  far  north  of  San 
Francisco— that  both  the  high  mountain  grades  and  the  tremendous 
snows  of  the  other  route  will  be  avoided.  They  argue  that,  although 
the  road  to  San  Francisco  may  be  lengthened  some  hundreds  of  miles, 
this  will  be  more  than  compensated  by  the  diminution  of  grade,  the 
avoidance  of  the  snow,  and  by  the  fact  that  the  road  will  touch  the  tide- 
water of  the  Pacific  at  at  least  two  important  points  before  San  Francisco  is 
reached  — the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California  and  San  Diego,  a good  port 
on  the  coast  of  Southern  California,  more  than  four  hundred  miles 
south  of  San  Francisco.  And  when  to  these  considerations  the  supe- 
rior value  of  the  intermediate  country  is  added,  it  is  insisted  that 
there  ought  to  be  no  hesitation.  Will  the  reader  please  refer  to  a 
map  and  trace  the  routes  here  indicated,  and  judge  for  himself  of  the 
soundness  of  these  arguments  ? 

One  thing  is  very  certain  : Either  the  Government,  aided  by  a com- 
pany such  as  this,  of  able  and  energetic  capitalists,  must  push  a rail- 
way through  these  vast  regions,  from  the  Missouri  to  the  Pacific,  or 
they  must  lie  undeveloped  and  unimproved  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration. Individual  energy  and  enterprise  can  never  accomplish  the 
work.  The  locomotive  must  precede  the  plow,  and  the  town  the 
farm.  No  farmer,  however  bold,  but  would  recoil  from  the  task  of 
going  forward,  as  the  farmers  of  the  States  east  of  the  Mississippi 
did,  in  advance  of  these  mighty  forces  of  civilized  life.  The  old  pro- 
cesses must  be  reversed,  as  indeed  they  have  been.  I wish  that  all 
the  people  who  may  read  these  words  could  see,  as  I have  seen,  the 
strong  and  healthy  stream  of  civilization  following  the  line  of  this 
road  up  through  this  most  beautiful  of  valleys,  and  see  and  enjoy,  as  I 
have  seen  and  enjoyed,  as  high  a civilization,  as  many  of  the  elegant 
creature  comforts  of  life,  and  as  pleasant  and  intelligent  people,  as  are 
to  be  found  anywhere.  The  right  plan  of  human  progress  has  been 
hit  upon  at  last. 


24 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


There  is  not  a work  now  in  progress  which  so  strongly  commends 
itself  to  the  support  of  the  American  Congress  and  people  as  this 
which  so  many  of  us  went  out  to  see  Without  a shadow  of  dissent 
and  with  all  the  earnestness  and  eloquence  of  which  the  distinguished 
excursionists  were  capable,  they  commended  it  to  the  country  and  its 
legislative  representatives. 


LET  TEE  Y. — Frame  Fogs  — BamUing  Observations — Enterprise  of 
Chicago  — Connection  of  Chicago  with  this  State  and  Boad. 

Salina,  Kansas,  June  13,  1867. 

PRAIRIE  DOGS. 

Everybody  has  heard  of  the  curious  little  animals  known  by  this 
name ; but  the  term  is  altogether  inapplicable,  for  the  creature  has 
not  a single  feature  or  characteristic  of  the  canine  race  about  it,  ex- 
cept that  it  barks.  Its  bark,  however,  is  that  of  the  squirrel,  not  that 
of  the  dog.  It,  like  the  squirrel  and  marmot,  belongs  to  the  genus 
rodentia , and  lives  altogether  upon  vegetable  food.  Its  color  is  a yel- 
lowish brown;  its  form  and  head  resemble  those  of  the  gray  squirrel; 
in  size  it  is  somewhat  larger.  Its  ears  look  as  if  cropped  off;  its 
tail  is  short,  and  its  paws  are  like  those  of  the  squirrel,  but  admirably 
adapted  to  burrowing  in  the  ground.  The  expression  of  its  counte- 
nance, if  I may  so  talk,  is  that  of  the  squirrel,  and  its  manifestations 
of  confidence,  bordering  on  affection,  when  petted,  are  exactly  like 
those  of  the  squirrel.  In  eating,  it  grasps  its  food  between  its  paws 
and  nibbles  it  daintily,  just  as  the  squirrel  does;  and  if  corn  is  given, 
of  which  it  is  fond,  it  bites  out  the  soft  germinating  part,  and  throws 
the  flinty  part  away. 

As  our  party  came  up  the  road,  about  halfway  between  Fort  Eiley 
and  this  place,  while  running  over  a broad  prairie,  we  came  to  a place 
called  Abeliene,  a hamlet  of  three  or  four  houses  and  a country  store. 
The  place  is  perhaps  better  known  as  Dogtown.  Here  the  train 
stopped,  and  our  attention  was  directed  to  about  a hundred  little 
mounds,  in  the  top  of  each  of  which  was  a neat  little  hole  running 
down,  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  deep  into  the  ground. 
On  the  top  of  each  mound  was  one  prairie-dog  standing  up  on  his 
haunches,  as  erect  as  a grenadier,  apparently  on  the  lookout  to  see 
what  was  coming.  We  all  got  out  and  approached  the  cluster  of 
mounds,  which  were  all  comprehended  within  a space  of  less  than  half 
an  acre.  On  our  approach,  all  the  “ dogs  ” at  once  dived  down  into 
their  burrows  with  the  speed  of  arrows,  and  disappeared.  Presently 


RAMBLING  OBSERVATIONS. 


25 


one  fellow,  bolder  than  his  comrades,  came  np  to  the  mouth  of  his 
subterranean  domicil  and  began  to  bark  angrily  at  us,  much  as  a very 
small  dog  would  do,  which  afforded  a good  deal  of  amusement. 
Presently  another  appeared,  who  received  his  visitors  with  all  the 
politeness  of  which  he  was  capable,  and  was  rewarded  for  his  confi- 
dence with  sundry  bits  of  crackers,  cakes  and  candy,  with  which  he 
appeared  to  be  well  pleased.  In  their  eagerness  to  see  it,  many  of 
the  party,  especially  the  ladies,  pressed  closer  and  closer  around. 
This  soon  became  too  much  for  his  courage,  and  he  darted  back  into 
his  burrow.  Hereupon  Mr.  Wells,  of  the  Philadelphia  Bulletin , took 
it  upon  him  to  be  master  of  ceremonies,  made  a mock-heroic  speech, 
assuring  “ the  audience  ” that  it  was  essential,  in  a performance  of 
this  kind,  that  the  circle  be  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  and  that  he  would 
continue  to  “swing  around  the  circle”  until  it  had  expanded  to  that 
amount.  This  he  did,  talking  as  he  went,  and  the  thing  was  soon 
accomplished.  Then  our  little  friend  ventured  out  again,  and  ex- 
hibited his  courage  and  agility  by  dashing  off  from  his  place  of  refuge  a 
yard  or  two  to  pick  up  bits  of  cake.  It  was  a pretty  and  unique 
spectacle  to  see  a circle  of  perhaps  a hundred  and  fifty  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen standing  in  a ring,  gazing  well  pleased  at  the  gambols  of  the 
funny  little  animal.  We  stayed  here  about  half  an  hour,  and  all  the 
time  our  angry  one  kept  barking  at  us. 

These  “dogs”  were  about  half  domesticated,  and  were  fed  by  the 
families  who  live  beside  them,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  young  are 
sold  for  pets.  A member  of  our  party  asked  one  of  the  ladies  resident 
where  they  came  from.  “ Oh,”  said  she,  “they  were  brought  from  the 
West”  In  another  place  we  saw  a similar  village  or  colony,  appar- 
ently more  numerous,  in  a perfectly  wild  state.  They  are  exceed- 
ingly gregarious,  and,  it  is  said,  harmless.  There  is  a notion  widely 
prevalent  out  here,  that  in  every  dog-hole  are  to  be  found  a rattle- 
snake and  an  owl ; but  no  one  has  ever  been  found  who  ever  saw 
the  last  two  inhabitants  in  the  burrow.  The  probability  is  that 
the  reptile  and  the  bird  are  apt  to  be  about  in  search  of  the  young 
“ dogs  ” as  prey.  Whether  their  habitations  communicate  one  with 
another  under  ground,  1 could  not  find  any  one  able  to  tell ; but  proba- 
bly they  do.  I was  told  by  a young  man  that  he  poured  one  hundred 
and  thirty  buckets  of  water  into  a hole  before  he  forced  a “ dog”  to 
come  up.  It  then  came  and  he  caught  it. 

RAMBLING  OBSERVATIONS. 

There  are  birds  here,  but  they  are  not  very  numerous.  I have  seen 
some  of  beautiful  plumage.  When  the  country  is  settled,  and  trees 


26 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


become  more  numerous,  they  will  multiply.  There  is  a small  species 
of  blackbird  here,  which  is  very  useful  in  destroying  insects,  especially 
grasshoppers,  which  are  occasionally  a great  pest.  This  year  there 
are  few,  if  any,  up  here,  but  down  near  the  Missouri  they  are  pretty 
numerous.  They  have,  however,  not  done  any  serious  harm. 

Eattlesnakes  are  somewhat  numerous  on  “the  plains”  west  of  this; 
but  I have  not  seen  any.  I have  been  about  as  far  west  as  the  cele- 
brated spot  where  our  excursion  friends  of  last  fall  killed  the  buffalo ; 
but  as  the  wave  of  civilized  life,  led  on  by  the  Union  Pacific  Eailway, 
has  rolled  on  about  eighty  miles  since  then,  I did  not  expect  to  see 
any.  I,  however,  helped  to  eat  a fresh  one  at  Clear  Creek,  a little  this 
side  of  Fort  Harker.  The  Indians  and  the  buffaloes  are  rapidly  melt- 
ing away  before  the  resistless  march  of  a stronger  race.  Before  this 
mighty  onward  movement  all  that  cannot  be  assimilated  must  be 
destroyed.  The  buffalo  cannot  be  domesticated,  nor  the  Indian  civil- 
ized, so  they  are  apparently  alike  devoted  to  extermination.  Both 
are  surrounded ; the  cordon  of  civilization  is  pressing  closer  and  closer 
around  them,  and  the  issue,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  is  as  inevitable  as 
fate.  In  another  letter  I shall  speak  more  fully  on  this  painful  sub- 
ject; only  remarking  now,  that,  from  all  I hear,  it  will  be  more  toler- 
able in  the  day  of  judgment  for  the  Indian,  with  all  his  savagery, 
than  for  some  white  men  whom  our  country  has  clothed  with  authority, 
and  into  whose  hands  it  has  placed  the  destiny  of  these  apparently 
doomed  wretches. 

No  part  of  the  earth’s  surface  has  ever  passed  so  suddenly  from  the 
condition  of  a vast,  trackless,  desolate  abode  of  wild  beasts  and  roving 
savages  to  one  of  complete  and  beautiful  Christian  civilization  as  this; 
and  probably  no  other  could  have  been  so  quickly  transformed.  As 
it  was  in  the  primitive  earth,  Cod’s  own  hand  has  planted  a garden 
here,  and  all  that  is  required  of  man  is  that  he  shall  go  in  and  occupy, 
and  dress  it,  and  keep  it.  Here  he  is  not  called  upon  to  wage  a life- 
long battle  with  heavy  forests  and  perplexing  brambles,  for  the  land 
is  already  a rich  meadow,  decked  with  flowers  and  ready  for  the 
plough  and  the  seed ; while  the  railway,  sent  here  by  the  agency  of 
well-directed,  yea,  Heaven-directed  enterprise,  with  its  concomitants, 
fills  out  all  the  material  conditions  required.  Now  let  the  Bible,  with 
its  blessed  influences,  and  living  teachers  of  both  schools  and  churches, 
together  with  the  press,  be  sent  forward,  and  the  old  exploded  myth 
of  an  “ American  desert  ” will  vanish  even  from  the  memory  of  men ; 
for  under  the  operation  of  the  forces  now  in  action,  this  long  talked  of 
“ desert  ” will  soon  blossom  as  the  rose.  Indeed,  it  is  literally  a flowery 
desert  now. 


CONNECTIONS  OF  CHICAGO  WITH  KANSAS. 


27 


THE  ENTERPRISE  OF  CHICAGO. 

It  is  a notable  fact  that  all  the  active  business  men  here  hail  from 
Chicago,  or  somewhere  on  that  social  and  commercial  line.  Many  of 
the  stores  are  branches  of  commercial  houses  in  that  city.  The  for- 
warding and  commission  merchants,  who  handle  the  Denver  and 
Santa  Fe  trades,  are  Chicago  men ; and  the  wagons,  reapers,  mowers, 
threshers,  shovels,  spades,  hoes,  cooking-stoves,  and  everything  per- 
taining to  a farmer’s  outfit  — and  there  are  more  of  these  things  here 
than  I ever  saw  in  any  town  of  its  size  — bear  the  same  impress,  and 
are  furnished  by  Chicago,  or  by  New  York  or  New  England,  through 
Chicago.  This  I like  to  see,  for  it  proves  what  I asserted  strongly  in 
my  correspondence  last  fall,  that  the  Union  Pacific  Kailway  of  the 
Kansas  is  the  better  avenue  for  the  trade  between  the  farthest  East 
and  the  farthest  West.  It  proves,  moreover,  that  already  Chicago, 
which  has  not  yet  a perfect  connection  by  rail  with  this  road,  is  in- 
trenching itself  strongly  and  firmly  in  this  matchless  garden  of  the 
continent.  It  is  through  this  avenue,  and  this  only,  that  that  city  and 
the  great  commercial  cities  of  which'  it  is  the  outpost,  can  reach  the 
centre  of  Colorado,  and  the  still  more  remote  territories  of  New  Mexico 
and  Arizona,  and  I am  persuaded  that  it  is  destined  to  be  their  best 
route  to  California. 

At  present  that  trade  is  carried  over  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and 
Quincy  Kailroad.  (the  best  road  in  Illinois)  to  Quincy  ; thence  across 
the  Mississippi  to  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  road,  which  begins  on 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  and  runs  to  St.  Joseph,  on  the  Missouri. 
Thence  it  goes  by  rail  to  Weston,  six  miles  above  Leavenworth. 
From  Weston  to  Leavenworth  it  is  carried  by  steamers.  At  Leaven- 
worth it  meets  one  of  the  termini  of  the  Union  Pacific  Koad.  In  a 
short  time  a branch  road  will  be  completed  from  Cameron  (about  fifty 
miles  east  of  St.  Joseph)  to  the  east  branch  of  the  Missouri,  opposite 
Leavenworth;  and  a bridge  across  the  river  to  that  city  is  the  last 
remaining  link  required  to  complete  the  long  and  direct  chain  between 
Chicago  and  the  Union  Pacific  Kailway  of  the  Kansas.  A branch 
road  from  Cameron  to  Kansas  City  is  also  in  progress  of  construction, 
and  another  bridge  is  to  be  built  across  the  Missouri  at  that  point, 
which  is  the  main  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific.  Thus  two  distinct 
lines  will  unite  the  cities  of  the  lakes,  and  through  them  all  the  rail- 
road lines  in  and  north  of  Pennsylvania,  with  this  great  continental 
thoroughfare.  They  are  now  building  a bridge  over  the  Mississippi 
at  Quincy.  So,  when  all  that  is  now  in  rapid  progress  shall  be  com- 
pleted, cars  may  be  run  from  any  of  the  cities  of  the  Atlantic  coast  to 


28 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


the  Pacific  without  breaking  bulk.  Before  five  years  more  shall  have 
rolled  round,  that  which  lately  seemed  but  an  enthusiast’s  dream  will 
be  sober  verity,  an  accomplished  fact 

I have  said  that  I was  pleased  to  see  the  energy  of  Chicago  in 
grasping  this  prize.  It  is  eminently  commendable ; and  if  the  cities 
along  the  other  great  line  of  the  country’s  commerce  — beginning  at 
Philadelphia  and  ending  at  St.  Louis  — allow  themselves  to  be  out- 
stripped, it  is  their  own  fault.  This,  however,  1 do  not  like  to  see. 
Allow  me  to  state  frankly  the  result  of  my  observation  during  the 
past  few  days  of  constrained  sojourn  in  this  lively  little  border  town, 
which  is  for  the  present  the  commercial  terminus  of  this  road.  I have 
rambled  through  the  closely  packed  warehouses  of  the  railroad  and 
of  the  forwarding-houses,  and  one  empty  glass  box,  bearing  the 
stencil-mark  of  a Pittsburgh  house,  was  the  only  evidence  I met  that 
there  was  anything  manufactured  in  our  State.  Ohio  was  represented 
by  some  agricultural  machinery.  Even  St.  Louis  had  very  little  to 
remind  one  that  it  is  a great  city,  and  that  to  its  enterprise  the  coun- 
try is  mainly  indebted  for  this  magnificent  thoroughfare  into  a vast 
and  prolific  region,  which,  but  for  it,  would  afford  no  market  to  any- 
body. 

The  magnitude  of  the  trade  on  this  road  astonishes  even  those  who 
are  building  it.  Its  revenue  during  the  month  of  May  was  over 
$172,000,  or  at  the  rate  of  over  $2,000,000  a year.  A double  track  will 
be  needed  through  the  valley  of  the  Kansas  long  before  the  far  distant 
goal  can  be  reached. 

P.  S. — In  justice  to  our  own  State,  I must  not  omit  to  mention  the 
fact  that  all  the  rails  on  this  road,  together  with  the  locomotives  and 
cars,  are  of  Pennsylvania  manufacture.  I only  spoke  above  of  the 
commodities  which  enter  into  the  general  trade  of  the  road. 


LETTER  YI. — Water  falling  — A new  Hotel  — Return  of  three  of  the 
Pond  Creek  Party  — Observations  upon  the  Country  above. 

Salina,  Kansas,  June  14,  1867. 

I am  still  here;  but  as  it  is  a very  good  place  to  see  and  hear  what 
is  going  on,  to  witness  the  vigorous  workings  of  border  life,  I cannot 
say  that  I regret  my  involuntary  detention.  I am  comfortably  fixed 
at  a respectable  restaurant.  We  have  a good  table,  clean  and  tidy 
chambers,  and  pleasant  and  intelligent  company.  I tried  the  Goddard 
House  about  thirty-six  hours,  but  that  was  enough.  In  a few  weeks 


THE  POND  CREEK  PARTY. 


29 


a new  hotel,  on  strictly  temperance  principles,  will  be  opened  near  the 
railroad  station  at  this  place,  by  Mrs.  Anne  Bickerdyke  and  Mrs. 
Greene.  I made  the  acquaintance  of  both  these  ladies  at  the  house 
of  Col.  Phillips.  Mrs.  Bickerdyke’s  name  occupies  a high  place  as  an 
active  and  laborious  Christian,  and  also  among  the  “Women  of  the 
War.”  Her  labors  among  the  soldiers,  in  camp  and  hospital,  were 
long-continued  and  very  efficient.  I have  read  her  biography,  and 
found  it  extremely  interesting.  Mrs.  Greene  is  also  an  excellent  lady. 
Their  house  will  be  an  acquisition  to  this  town. 

The  “Smoky”  continued  to  rise  until  Thursday  morning,  when  it 
began  slowly  to  recede.  Between  this  and  Junction  City  some  two  or 
three  culverts  and  a little  tressel-work  were  damaged,  and  as  the  river 
has  been  up  so  long,  it  was  impossible  to  make  any  repairs,  and  hence 
the  long  delay.  But  for  the  water,  a few  hours  would  have  sufficed  to 
have  put  the  road  in  running  order.  I think  the  Company  will  now 
raise  the  road-bed  in  a few  places  between  Junction  City  and  this 
town.  Above  this  it  is  all  right,  and  below  Junction  City  the  trains 
have  run  regularly.  The  flood  in  the  Solomon  and  Saline  wras,  I am 
told,  unprecedented.  The  Smoky  Hill  has  not  been  so  high  since  1858. 

To  show  how  fast  they  do  things  here,  I may  mention  that  the 
Methodist  Society  have  reared  a neat  little  meeting-house  from  the 
foundation  since  I have  been  here,  that  is,  this  week,  and  expect  to 
hold  a quarterly  meeting  in  it  on  Sunday  next. 

The  weather  is  quite  warm.  Hay  before  yesterday  the  thermometer 
rose  to  80  degrees.  Yesterday  it  could  not  have  been  less  than  90 
degrees,  and  to-day  it  is  equally  high ; but  the  fine,  fresh,  invigorating 
breeze  prevents  it  from  being  oppressive. 

Yesterday  two  of  our  friends  of  the  excursion,  Hon.  J.  L.  Thomas, 
M.  C.  of  Maryland,  and  E.  H.  Kennedy,  Esq.,  of  Pittsburgh,  came 
down  here — having  left  the  party  going  to  Pond  Creek  — and  are  now 
water-bound  like  myself.  They  went  as  far  as  Big  Creek,  fifty  miles 
beyond  Ellsworth.  They  represent  it  as  a still  better  country  than 
that  around  Fort  Harker  and  Ellsworth.  The  first  day  or  two  the 
party  were  drenched  with  rain,  but  had  very  fine  weather  afterwards. 
They  had  killed  four  buffaloes,  one  of  which,  a big  bull,  stood  quite  a 
siege  from  the  whole  line  before  he  succumbed.  They  left  the  rest  of 
the  party,  led  and  commanded  by  General  Hancock,  well  and  in  good 
spirits.  We  shall  return  down  the  Kansas  together. 

This  morning  I had  an  interesting  conversation  with  a man  of  con- 
siderable intelligence  and  an  accurate  observer,  who  has  spent  some 
time  in  the  neighborhood  of  Big  Creek,  where  the  railroad  line  crosses 
that  stream  and  follows  its  valley  for  about  twenty-five  miles.  This 


30 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


is  nearly  one  hundred  miles  west  of  this  place,  and  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  west  of  Fort  Biley.  He  represents  it  as  a fine  country. 
The  streams  are  well  fringed  with  ash,  elm  and  black  walnut.  There 
is  but  little  cottonwood.  The  ash  are  large  and  straight.  One  man 
is  making  preparations  to  put  in  a crop  of  fall  'wheat,  and  has  expecta- 
tion of  a good  yield.  The  soil  being  deep,  no  apprehension  is  felt  of  a 
lack  of  moisture.  My  own  impression  is,  after  a careful  examination 
of  the  deep  brown  soil  of  those  “plains/’  fairly  within  the  buffalo 
grass  region,  that  with  deep  ploughing  it  is  admirably  adapted  to  the 
cultivation  of  winter  wheat.  Spring  wheat,  I think,  would  not  suc- 
ceed. The  prairie  is  hard  to  break  up.  The  ground  is  remarkably 
solid,  and  is  scarcely  affected  at  all  by  frost;  and  what  renders  the 
first  ploughing  more  difficult  is  a plant  which  grows  abundantly,  called 
the  “ Devil’s  shoe-string,”  the  long,  lateral  roots  of  which  are  so  tough 
that  they  can  neither  be  cut  nor  broken  with  the  plough.  The  only 
way  is  to  run  under  the  tuft  and  heave  it  all  over.  After  that  it  causes 
no  further  trouble. 

Since  I saw  that  gentleman  I have  conversed  with  Mr.  E.  Honek, 
wTho  has  resided  over  a year  on  Spring  Creek,  a small  stream  nine 
miles  west  of  Salina,  on  the  “ divide,”  between  this  and  Fort  Harker, 
and  on  this  brown  soil  of  which  I have  spoken.  He,  too,  is  making 
preparations  to  put  in  a crop  of  winter  wheat,  and  is  confident  of  suc- 
cess. He  has  been  in  this  country  for  twelve  years,  and  appears  to  be 
a man  of  good  sense  and  close  observation.  He  has  not  yet  tried 
fruit-growing ; but  he  told  me  of  a peach  orchard  which  he  had  seen 
some  miles  southeast  of  this,  on  an  elevated  part  of  the  plains,  which 
was  very  healthy  and  flourishing.  Here,  and  in  every  part  of  Kansas 
east  of  this,  all  the  fruit-trees  I have  seen  are  very  luxuriant.  At  the 
Pottawatomie  Mission,  below  Fort  -Riley,  I saw  as  beautiful  peach-trees 
as  ever  I saw  anywhere,  heavily  laden  with  young  fruit. 

I have  no  wish  to  induce  men  to  buy  up  these  buffalo-grass  regions 
for  farming  purposes  until  all  their  characteristics  and  conditions  shall 
be  more  fully  known.  But  from  all  I have  seen  and  heard,  I am  per- 
suaded that  this  remote  portion  of  our  national  domain,  comprehend- 
ing hundreds  of  thousands  of  square  miles,  which  we  have  heretofore 
heard  of  only  as  “the  plains/’  and  as  “the  buffalo  region,”  will  be 
found  to  be  valuable  land,  well  adapted"  to  be  the  habitation  of  civil- 
ized people,  and  far  more  salubrious  than  any  territory  we  have  yet 
occupied.  I believe  that  population  will  rapidly  follow  this  railroad 
and  its  branches,  and  that  Government  lands,  hitherto  utterly  value- 
less, will  be  eagerly  occupied  as  homesteads,  or  bought  up.  I say 
population  will  follow  this  railroad.  It  cannot  precede  it;  for  even  the 


ARRIVAL  AT  LAWRENCE. 


31 


dwelling  of  the  settler  must  be  carried  forward.  The  log-cabin  can 
never  be  an  institution  here,  and  the  ranch  is  no  place  for  women 
and  children.  Let  the  Government,  then,  by  generous  subsidies,  push 
on  this  great  work,  and  every  dollar  expended  will  be  returned  four- 
fold in  national  wealth  and  national  revenue  within  the  present  gen- 
eration. Even  were  there  no  San  Francisco,  no  California,  no  Pacific 
Ocean  to  reach  at  the  other  end,  the  building  of  this  road  would  be  a 
wise  and  beneficent  measure,  and  an  enduring  crown  of  glory  to  the 
men  who  shall  accomplish  it,  whether  in  their  capacity  of  statesmen 
or  of  capitalists,  and  to  the  generation  in  which  it  shall  be  consum- 
mated. 


LETTEE  YII. — Arrival  at  Lawrence — - Flood  in  the  Smoky  Hill  and 

Kansas. 

Lawrence,  Kansas,  June  20,  1867. 

I arrived  at  this  beautiful  and  historic  little  city  yesterday  after- 
noon, as  I am  slowly  heading  eastward.  Of  this  place  I shall  speak  at 
another  time. 

FLOOD  IN  THE  SMOKY  HILL  AND  KANSAS. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  the  7th,  just  after  the  main  body  of  our 
party,  including  all  the  ladies,  had  left  some  twenty  of  us  at  Fort 
Harker,  over  220  miles  west  of  the  Missouri,  we  had  a very  violent 
hurricane.  About  midnight  we  had  another.  General  Hancock  told 
me  that  in  twenty-five  years’  experience  on  the  plains  he  had  never 
witnessed  so  heavy  a gale  as  that  of  the  afternoon.  But  of  this  bois- 
terous night  I think  I have  already  spoken. 

I left  Fort  Harker  about  eight  o’clock  on  Saturday  morning,  and 
reached  Salina  in  the  afternoon  in  the  contractor’s  car  attached  to  a 
construction  train — very  pleasant,  but  slow.  I dined  in  the  car  with 
E.  H.  Shoemaker,  Esq.,  and  other  gentlemen,  to  whom  I am  indebted 
for  many  courtesies.  But  the  heavy  rain  of  Friday  night,  and  the 
almost  unparalleled  torrents  of  Saturday,  flooded  the  country  and 
turned  every  channel  of  surface  water  into  an  improvised  river.  I 
never  saw  such  rain  as  that. 

I could  go  no  further  than  Salina  that  evening.  A train  attempted 
to  go  down  on  Sunday  morning,  but  was  partially  wrecked  at  a broken 
culvert  a few  miles  below  town,  and  the  few  passengers  had  to  get 
back  the  best  way  they  could.  I did  not  attempt  it,  hoping  that  the 
regular  train  would  be  able  to  go  out  on  Monday  morning.  But  in 
this  I was  disappointed.  It  was  not  the  swellings  of  the  Smoky  Hill 
that  prevented  the  train  from  running  on  Monday,  but  the  unexampled 


32 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


rise  of  the  lateral  streams  below  Salma  — the  Saline,  the  Solomon  and 
others.  Afterwards  the  overflowings  of  the  “ Smoky  ” prevented  the 
damage  done  by  the  smaller  streams  from  being  repaired.  No  bridges 
were  carried  away.  That  over  the  Saline  was  saved  by  running  a 
train,  laden  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  railroad  iron,  upon  it. 

On  Sunday  the  Smoky  Hill  began  to  swell  rapidly,  and  continued  to 
rise  steadily  until  Thursday,  although  on  Sunday  the  weather  had 
changed,  and  become  as  dry  and  fine  as  I ever  saw  it.  For  several 
days  the  flats  in  many  places  were  covered  from  bluff  to  bluff.  The 
town  of  Salina  was  not  overflowed,  but  it  stood  on  a large  island. 
Now  for  the  results. 

I have  said  that  no  bridges  were  carried  away.  The  culverts  were 
but  slightly  damaged.  Above  Salina  the  track  of  the  road  was  over- 
flowed but  a short  distance,  for  it  soon  rises  to  higher  ground.  Be- 
tween Salina  and  Junction  City,  a distance  of  fifty  miles,  over  which 
we  passed  on  Saturday  last,  (having  been  shut  in  at  Salina  from  the 
Saturday  previous,)  some  six  or  eight  miles  of  the  track  was  or  had 
been  submerged.  In  two  places  we  ran  through  shallow  lakes  each 
about  a mile  across,  and  in  length  the  entire  width  of  the  valley  from 
bluff  to  bluff — perhaps  two  or  three  miles.  It  was  romantic,  although 
by  no  means  safe,  travelling.  A construction  train  preceded  us,  care- 
fully examining  and  repairing  as  it  went.  I never  saw  men  work  so 
hard,  so  faithfully  and  so  cheerfully  as  did  these.  The  main  trouble 
was  that  the  waves,  raised  by  the  wind  on  these  broad  expanses  of 
overflowed  water,  washed  the  embankments  and  undermined  the  road- 
bed ; and  in  many  places  the  track  had  to  be  propped  up,  although 
yet  submerged,  with  ties  and  blocks.  Finally,  when  within  four  or 
five  miles  of  Junction  City,  the  front  passenger-car — the  one  I was 
in — ran  off  the  track ; but  as  we  were  going  very  slowly  there  was  no 
harm  done  and  no  shock.  The  water  was  then  about  a foot  over  the 
track.  We  all  managed  to  crowd  into  the  baggage-car,  and  the  ma- 
jority contrived  to  get  something  to  sit  upon. 

While  in  the  baggage-car,  and  all  being  pleased,  grateful  and  in  the 
best  possible  humor,  the  Hon.  John  L.  Thomas,  of  Baltimore,  one  of 
our  excursionists,  proposed  that  the  hearty  thanks  of  the  passengers 
be  tendered  to  E.  C.  Smead,  Esq.,  the  Besident  Engineer  of  the  road, 
and  to  the  men  under  his  command,  for  the  courage,  skill  and  indom- 
itable perseverance  with  which  they  had  grappled  with  and  overcome 
the  difficulties  that  beset  our  way.  And  in  language  less  demonstra- 
tive, but  not  less  sincere,  many  uttered  their  acknowledgments  to  Him 
who  keeps  us  in  all  our  ways.  About  nine  o’clock  we  arrived  safely 
at  Junction  City. 


FLOOD  IN  THE  SMOKY  HILL  AND  KANSAS. 


33 


Below  Junction  City  — at  which  place  the  Republican,  uniting  with 
the  Smoky  Hill,  together  form  the  Kansas,  or  the  Kaw,  as  it  is  more 
frequently  called  here,  and  below  which  the  channel  is  much  wider  — 
the  flood  did  no  harm  to  the  road.  In  the  fifty  miles  between  Junc- 
tion City  and  Salina,  about  eight  miles  of  the  road-bed  will  have  to  be 
more  or  less  elevated.  Some  say  the  flood  of  1858  was  equal  to  this; 
others  say  it  was  not. 

The  Senatorial  party  reached  Junction  City  on  Thursday;  but  the 
same  cause  which  kept  me  from  getting  down  prevented  them  from 
getting  up;  so,  of  course,  I did  not  succeed  in  joining  them.  They 
returned  on  Friday,  greatly  pleased  with  the  country,  the  railway 
and  the  people.  Messrs.  Wade,  Covode  and  others  spoke  at  Lawrence, 
Manhattan  and  Junction  City.  The  free  air  of  Kansas  would  be 
wholesome  to  such  lungs  as  theirs.  But  as  I have  not  thought  it 
necessary  to  be  careful  to  gather  up  the  incidents  of  their  trip,  such 
things  not  being  the  subject  of  my  letters,  I shall  not  attempt  to  tell 
what  they  did  or  said.  The  only  disappointment  I have  felt  since  I 
left  was  my  inability  to  join  them  at  Leavenworth  as  intended. 

This  flood  will  be  advantageous  to  this  railroad,  as  it  will  afford 
known  high-water  marks  to  guide  the  engineers  in  their  future  opera- 
tions, which  they  have  not  heretofore  had.  The  alterations  needed 
in  the  portion  of  the  road  already  laid,  can  be  made  at  a compara- 
tively trifling  cost.  Although  it  was  not  so  pleasant  to  myself  to  be 
water-bound  at  Salina,  as  it  would  have  been  to  have  joined  the 
Senatorial  party,  I cannot  say  that  I regret  it,  for  it  gav^  me  an  op- 
portunity of  seeing  for  myself  how  the  road  stood  this  trying  ordeal. 
Moreover,  it  held  me  for  a week  at  that  stirring  town,  at  what  is  yet 
the  extreme  border  of  settlement  — a far  better  point  of  observation 
of  the  great  onward  march  than  any  of  the  lower  towns  would  have 
been. 

While  at  Salina  I was  joined  by  three  of  my  friends  of  the  excur- 
sion, who  had  started  from  Fort  Harker  with  the  party  to  Pond  Creek, 
two  hundred  miles  further  up  the  Smoky  Hill.  Hon.  J.  M.  Thomas, 
of  Baltimore,  E.  D.  Kennedy,  Esq.,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  Mr.  Kenwick, 
of  Detroit.  They  went  as  far  as  Big  Creek,  about  sixty  miles ; but 
as  the  progress  of  the  party  was  impeded  by  the  swollen  streams,  they 
felt  constrained  to  return  by  stage.  They  bore  a part  in  the  chase 
and  slaughter  of  four  butfaloes,  their  narration  of  which  exploits  were 
rich  indeed.  Big  Creek  had  been  enormously  swollen,  and  so  sudden 
was  the  rise  that  five  soldiers  and  two  citizens  were  surrounded  by 
the  waters  and  drowned  at  Fort  Hays.  Gen.  Hancock,  on  his  arrival, 
ordered  the  location  to  be  changed  to  higher  ground. 

3 


34 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


I have  thought  it  worth  while  to  be  thus  particular  in  speaking  of 
this  extraordinary  flood,  because  of  its  bearing  upon  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway,  and  to  correct  any  exaggerated  reports  which,  perchance, 
may  be  set  afloat. 

P.  S. — Already  five  construction  trains  are  at  work  on  those  parts 
of  the  road  found  to  be  too  low,  and  in  a few  days  all  will  be  better 
than  ever,  and  the  regular  trade  resumed. 


LETTER  VIII. — Trees  in  Kansas. 

Lawrence,  June  21,  1867. 

TREES  IN  KANSAS. 

In  the  greater  part  of  this  State,  except  along  the  margins  of  the 
watercourses,  there  is  very  little  timber;  but  along  the  streams  it 
grows  with  great  luxuriance.  The  main  part  is  cottonwood,  a variety 
of  poplar,  and  perhaps  one  of  the  poorest  varieties.  The  tree  often 
grows  to  a large  size,  and  is  much  used  for  the  manufacture  of  rough 
lumber,  such  as  joists,  rafters,  scantling,  fencing-boards,  and  often  it 
is  used  for  partitions,  and  even  siding  and  floors  in  the  rougher  and 
cheaper  kinds  of  houses.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  plane  it.  In  fact, 
nothing  but  the  axe  and  saw  can  work  it  up.  The  trunks  of  the  trees 
are  generally  cut  into  saw-logs,  and  the  branches  into  cord-wood.  It 
is  rarely  split,  for  the  woody  fibre  is  interlaced  almost  as  much  as 
gum,  and  is  nearly  as  tough  as  the  fibre  of  hemp.  It  is  not  often  that 
a piece  long  enough  for  a common  saw-log  can  be  obtained  without 
more  or  less  crooks  in  it.  There  are  many  saw-mills,  all  of  which  use 
the  circular  saw  exclusively.  Sometimes  two  saws  are  used,  so  that 
when  large  logs  are  operated  upon,  the  upper  one  cuts  what  the  lower 
one  cannot  reach.  Cottonwood  is  wholly  unfit  for  posts,  railroad  ties, 
or  any  use  which  brings  it  in  contact  with  the  soil,  as  it  quickly  rots 
in  such  situations;  but  if  kept  dry,  it  is  for  many  purposes  a strong, 
useful  wood.  Cottonwood  boards  make  pretty  good  fences,  but  their 
tendency  to  warp  often  causes  them  to  break  the  nails. 

The  cottonwood  is  of  very  rapid  growth.  It  is  often  planted  for 
purposes  of  shade  and  ornament.  The  denseness  and  deep  shining 
green  of  its  foliage  make  it  one  of  the  most  beautiful  trees,  when 
standing  out  in  open  places,  I ever  saw.  Early  in  June  it  ripens  its 
seed,  which  are  quite  small,  and  each  seed  is  winged  with  a small  tuft 
of  downy  fibre  like  cotton,  which  bears  it  for  miles  on  the  wind. 
Hence  the  name  of  cottonwood. 

Hext  to  the  cottonwood,  the  black  walnut  is  the  important  timber 


TREES  IN  KANSAS. 


35 


of  this  country,  and  is  probably  next  to  it  in  abundance.  It  is  used 
for  everything  from  furniture  to  fence-rails.  It  grows  large  and  quite 
as  straight  as  in  the  Eastern  States.  It  is  found  most  plentiful  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  larger  streams. 

• The  oak,  in  its  several  varieties,  is  found  here;  but  although  I 
have  seen  a few  fine  specimens,  it  has  not  done  well  as  a natural 
production.  But  the  trouble  has  been  that  in  the  only  places 
where  it  could  flourish  — the  high  open  ground  — no  trees  could  get 
in  for  the  prairie  fires.  As  a cultivated  tree,  the  oak  will  do  well 
here. 

I have  seen  some  hickory  down  near  the  Missouri,  and  some  ash. 
Away  out  on  the  plains,  far  beyond  Fort  Harker,  the  ash  grows  large 
and  straight,  and  is  a valuable  tree.  There  are  no  chestnuts. 

Wild  fruit-trees  are  very  abundant,  especially  plums,  haws,  paw- 
paws, gooseberries,  and  wild  grapes.  Beyond  Salina,  far  out  in  the 
bulfalo  grass  region,  the  plums  are  said  to  be  very  fine.  I saw  some 
of  these  native  plums  in  the  garden  of  Judge  Smith,  of  this  city, 
which  were  very  beautiful  both  as  trees  and  fruit.  The  plums  hang 
in  clusters  like  large,  open  bunches  of  grapes.  He  said  they  are  very 
good  when  ripe. 

I have  never  seen  apple-trees  and  peach-trees  flourish  as  they  do 
here,  and  this  year  the  fruit  crop  is  abundant  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  trees.  There  are  not  as  many  fruit-trees  as  there  ought  to 
be.  I am  told  that  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  State  it  was  given 
out  as  a settled  fact  that  fruit  would  not  succeed  in  Kansas.  Proba- 
bly the  thing  was  said  more  to  justify  improvidence  and  neglect 
than  anything  else;  but  it  seems  that  the  croakers  had  it  their  own 
way  for  a time,  and  the  introduction  of  fine  fruit  was  retarded.  How, 
however,  the  tide  appears  to  have  turned  the  other  way,  as  numerous 
flourishing  young  orchards  attest. 

Grapes  do  admirably  here.  I met  a Mr.  Burns  at  Manhattan,  twenty 
miles  east  of  Fort  -Riley,  who  is  well  known  in  Pittsburgh.  He  has 
located  himself  a few  miles  distant  from  that  beautiful  town,  and 
devoted  his  time,  his  labor  and  talent  exclusively  to  the  culture  of  the 
vine.  He  has  many  varieties,  all  of  which  do  well.  As  he  is  a lite- 
rary man,  his  publications  on  that  subject  are  valuable,  and  his  labors 
will  doubtless  result  ere  long  in  clothing  many  of  these  beautiful 
slopes  in  vineyards.  I measured  a grape-leaf  in  Judge  Smith’s 
garden.  It  was  twelve  and  a half  inches  wide,  and  twelve  from 
head  to  point. 

The  locust  grows  here  with  great  vigor,  but  the  borer  is  severe 
upon  them.  I think  crude  petroleum,  applied  to  the  bole  and  larger 


36 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


branches,  would  cure  this  evil.  If  that  pest  could  be  overcome,  mil- 
lions of  these  valuable  trees  might  be  reared  at  a trifling  expense  of 
land  and  labor.  Indeed,  the  land  would  be  better  for  their  presence. 
Growing  as  they  do  here,  they  are  very  beautiful. 

But  of  all  the  cultivated  trees  I have  seen  in  this  State,  the  soft 
maple  is  the  most  luxuriant  and  the  most  beautiful.  They  are  planted 
by  thousands  in  both  town  and  country. 

Osage  orange  hedges  abound,  and  are  in  the  highest  degree  success- 
ful. Judge  Bailey,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who  is  himself  a farmer,  told 
me  yesterday  that  they  can  be  made  at  an  expense  of  less  than  fifty 
cents  a perch.  In  about  four  years  they  are  sufficiently  grown  to  be  a 
protection  against  animals.  In  the  meantime,  a fence  of  some  other 
kind  is  required.  Animals  do  not,  or,  rather,  cannot  eat  the  orange. 
Its  strong,  sharp  thorns  protect  it. 

I have  never  seen  in  Kansas  a tree  that  had  been  uprooted  by  the 
wind.  I mentioned  this  to  one  of  the  oldest  citizens,  and  he  said  that, 
although  he  had  never  thought  of  it  before,  he  was  unable  to  call  to 
mind  a single  instance  in  which  he  had  seen  a tree  that  had  been  blown 
“ out  of  root.”  The  reason  of  this  is  quite  obvious.  The  soil  is  so  deep 
that  trees  of  all  kinds  strike  their  roots  so  far  down  that  it  is  impos- 
sible for  any  amount  of  force  that  the  tree  could  bear  to  heave  up  the 
huge  mass  of  soil  which  they  embrace.  But  neither  have  I in  a single 
instance  seen  a tree  which  had  been  broken  by  the  wind.  This  may  be 
accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  the  trees  of  this  country  having  to 
withstand  a strong  breeze  almost  every  day,  grow  more  sturdy  than 
they  do  with  us ; and  hence  even  a gale  or  a hurricane  cannot  break 
them.  Young  fruit-trees  require  to  be  securely  staked  till  they  are 
well  rooted.  After  that  they  appear  to  stand  up  as  well,  and  are  as 
symmetrical,  as  I ever  saw  trees  anywhere.  Peach-trees  form  their 
heads  more  beautifully  in  Kansas  than  in  any  part  of  the  eastern 
States  that  I have  visited,  and  this  year  the  crop  is  very  abundant. 
Most  of  the  early  settlers  were  negligent  in  this  matter,  so  that  at 
this  time  the  market  is  not  one  quarter  supplied,  and  men  could  do 
well  to  go  largely  into  the  business  yet. 

Mr.  Burns,  who  probably  knows  more  about  the  matter  than  any 
other  now  in  Kansas,  assured  me  confidently  that  in  no  part  of  the 
United  States  except  Southern  California  did  the  vine  grow  so  well 
and  bear  its  fruit  so  abundantly  and  surely  as  in  Kansas.  And  he 
gave  a reason  for  it.  The  abundant  rains  of  April,  May,  and  part  of 
June  give  them  a fine  start ; then  the  warm,  dry,  and  pure  atmosphere 
of  the  subsequent  months  secures  the  ripening  of  the  grapes  both 
richly  and  soundly.  When  the  rich  flats  of  the  valley  of  the  Kansas 


TREES  IN  KANSAS. 


37 


shall  be  a succession  of  farms,  the  fields  enclosed  with  stone  walls  or 
hedges  as  the  proprietors  please,  and  its  bluffs  of  every  imaginable 
form  of  grace  and  beauty  shall  be  clad  in  vines,  as  they  will  be,  it  will 
probably  be  the  most  enchanting  valley  on  this  planet. 

For  more  than  two  hundred  miles  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  passes 
through  the  midst  of  this  paradisiacal  scene,  which  hardly  for  a moment 
is  hid  from  view  in  all  its  amplitude  and  grandeur.  Why,  it  will  be 
worth  a journey  from  Pennsylvania  just  to  see  it. 

The  cedar  grows  well  here.  In  the  valleys  beyond  Fort  Harker  it 
is  indigenous  and  in  places  abundant.  The  black  walnut  abounds  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  as  far  as  I can  hear  anything  about.  Every 
farmer  knows  what  kind  of  soil  that  indicates. 

From  my  own  observation,  and  from  conversations  with  others,  I 
am  satisfied  that  the  only  thing  that  prevented  these  vast  prairies 
from  being  wooded  are  the  annual  fires  that  sweep  through  the  dry 
grass.  Where  they  have  been  stopped  even  for  a year  or  two,  young 
trees  spring  up  spontaneously.  This  I have  seen  in  many  places;  and 
hence  I believe  that  in  twenty  years  there  will  be  far  more  wood  here 
than  there  is  now.  But  it  is  not  as  scarce  now  as  many  people  sup- 
pose. The  other  day  I went  to  visit  a woollen  factory  in  this  city  — 
of  which  I shall  have  something  to  say  in  another  place.  The  pro- 
prietor with  whom  I rode  pointed  out  a range  of  several  hundred 
cords  of  good  wood,  which  he  told  me  he  laid  in  last  winter  at  four 
dollars  a cord.  One  fact  like  this  is  worth  more  than  a page  of  ab- 
stract terms  expressive  of  abundance  or  scarcity. 

In  some  places  I observed  that  sumach  was  springing  up  and  over- 
spreading the  ground  with  great  rapidity.  To  the  mere  farmer  this 
is  a pest ; but  the  richness  of  this  shrub  in  the  tannin  principle  may 
render  it  a source  of  wealth. 

So  much  for  the  trees  and  fruits  and  the  shrubs  of  this  extraordinary 
State.  I shall,  I know,  be  pardoned  for  dwelling  so  long  upon  them ; 
for  to  the  practical  man  who  may  have  thoughts  of  emigrating, 
nothing  can  be  more  interesting. 


LETTER  IX. — Mineral  Resources  of  Kansas — Magnesian  Limestone,  its 
abundance  and  its  excellence  as  a Building  Material  - — Other  Varieties 
of  Stone  — - Marble.  — General  Remarks. 

St.  Louis,  June  25,  1867. 

I arrived  in  this  city  on  Saturday  morning  from  Kansas,  and  here  I 
intend  to  remain  for  a few  days.  In  some  respects  this  is  a better 


38 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


standpoint  from  which  to  view  the  great  trans-Mississippi  region 
than  any  other.  It  is  its  natural  metropolis ; but  I saw  enough  while 
far  up  the  Kansas  and  the  Smoky  Hill  to  satisfy  me  that  St.  Louis 
will  have  a hard  and  wholesome  struggle  for  the  trade  of  the  mighty 
and  matchless  empire  which  is  springing  up  behind  her.  Here,  almost 
literally,  a nation  is  born  in  a day,  and  the  region  through  which  I 
have  just  been  travelling  is  very  nearly  as  accessible  to  Chicago  as  to 
St.  Louis,  and  to  Hew  York  as  to  Pennsylvania. 

I propose  now  to  speak  of  the 

MINERAL  RESOURCES  OE  KANSAS. 

Until  I visited  the  State,  my  impression  was  that,  although  Kansas 
was  very  beautiful  and  very  fertile,  its  mineral  resources  did  not 
amount  to  much.  I was  not  even  aware,  until  I came  out  last  fall, 
that  it  has  more  abundant,  cheaper,  and  better  building  stone  than 
any  other  State  in  the  Union  can  boast;  and  the  best  of  it  is,  that 
these  stone  do  not  at  all  mar  the  soil  or  break  the  face  of  the  country. 
In  my  letters  last  fall  I spoke  briefly  of  these  regular  and  far  extended 
quarries  of  magnesian  limestone;  but  as  I have  given  the  subject 
more  close  attention  on  this  more  leisurely  excursion,  I beg  leave  to 
return  to  the  subject. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Lawrence,  forty  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Kansas,  this  stone  exists  in  abundance,  but  the  quality,  as  a build- 
ing material,  is  inferior.  The  strata  are  thin  and  the  color  is  not 
pretty.  At  Topeka,  twenty  miles  farther  up,  the  quality  is  greatly 
better,  and  many  very  handsome  dwellings  are  to  be  seen  in  and 
around  that  city  constructed  of  it.  It  underlies  all  the  upper  surface 
of  the  country,  and  crops  out  of  the  faces  of  the  bluffs  with  such  regu- 
larity that  it  might  be  mistaken  at  a distance  for  tolerably  well  laid 
artificial  walls  of  range  work. 

As  we  ascend  the  river  it  becomes  better  and  better.  At  Manhattan, 
a pretty  and  flourishing  town  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue  river,  it  is 
surpassingly  beautiful,  of  a very  light,  delicate  and  lively  stone  color, 
and  is  so  abundant,  and  so  easily  quarried  and  worked,  that  it  is 
cheaper  as  a building  material  than  either  brick  or  frame.  It  is 
harder  than  at  Fort  Kiley  and  Junction  City,  so  that,  although  it 
works  easily  under  the  hammer  and  chisel,  they  do  not  attempt  to 
saw  it  like  timber,  as  they  do  at  the  latter  places.  I,  however,  prefer 
the  color  of  the  Manhattan  stone  to  any  I ever  saw.  At  Manhattan 
it  is  something  like  the  color  of  diluted  milk;  at  Junction  City  it  is 
more  like  cream.  But  I suppose  it  is  a matter  of  taste. 

From  some  distance  below  Fort  Eiley  to  a still  greater  distance 


MINERAL  RESOURCES  OF  KANSAS. 


89 


above  Junction  City— how  many  miles  I cannot  say  — an  enormous 
and  solid  stratum  of  this  rock  extends,  in  some  places  over  six  feet 
thick,  and  so  soft  that  they  cut  it  with  axes  in  the  quarry,  and  saw  it 
into  any  forms  they  please  with  toothed  saws,  just  as  timber  is  sawed. 
Yet  when  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  for  a while,  it  becomes  almost  as 
hard  as  marble  and  quite  as  indestructible.  As  to  this  last  and  most 
important  fact  I might  have  hesitated  to  take  the  words  of  the  people 
there,  who  are  very  enthusiastic  on  the  subject,  and  who  think  that 
they  have  an  inexhaustible  mine  of  wealth  in  that  rock,  had  I not 
seen  the  angles  of  the  stratum,  as  its  face  protruded  from  the  face  of 
the  bluff,  as  sharp  as  ever,  although  they  had  withstood  the  beatings 
of  the  elements  for  centuries 

A company,  with  a capital  of  $40,000,  has  just  been  organized  at 
Junction  City  to  saw  up  this  stone,  and  otherwise  work  it  into  any 
and  every  form  which  the  market  may  call  for.  The  President  of  the 
Company  told  me  that  they  proposed  to  saw  it  into  slabs  for  flooring, 
one  and  a half  inches  thick,  and  into  tiles  for  roofing,  three  quarters 
thick,  and  that  they  would  turn  it  into  any  form  which  a lathe  could 
give  to  wood  or  metal.  I believe  this  enterprise  will  be  a success.  I 
saw  some  very  large  blocks  of  this  stone  at  Topeka,  on  the  ground 
where  they  are  just  beginning  to  erect  the  State  Capitol.  It  will 
probably  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  structures  in  the  country,  but  by 
no  means  the  most  expensive.  This  stone  is  practically  inexhaustible, 
and  will  furnish  a large  item  of  transportation  to  the  U.  P.  Kailway. 

While  at  Junction  City  two  tall,  slender  chimney-tops  were  pointed 
out  to  me.  They  were  built  of  thin  blocks  or  slabs,  set  on  edge — -four 
making  a round — cut  out,  as  I was  told,  with  a common  hand-saw. 
They  fitted  so  nicely  that  the  joints  were  scarcely  perceptible  at  the 
distance  I stood,  and  the  whole  had  the  appearance  of  slender  marble 
shafts.  Mr.  Martin,  editor  of  “ The  Junction  City  Daily  Union (an 
energetic  and  enterprising  Pennsylvanian,  a good  man,  and  one  whose 
life  is  likely  to  be  a success,)  had  a block  of  this  stone  in  his  office 
on  which  he  showed  me,  by  practical  test,  how  a hand-saw  operated. 
It  cut  into  it  rapidly  and  smoothly,  although  the  block  had  become 
somewhat  hardened  by  exposure  to  the  atmosphere.  Most  of  the 
buildings  in  Junction  City  are  of  this  stone,  which  gives  to  that  new 
place  a very  substantial  and  handsome  appearance.  For  size  and 
finish  some  of  the  stores  would  appear  well  in  any  city. 

Some  miles  above  Junction  City  — how  far  exactly  I cannot  say — 
the  stone  of  the  valley  changes  from  lime  to  sand,  and  there  is  also  a 
perceptible  change  in  the  soil,  although  it  continues  to  be  equally  rich. 
At  Salina,  fifty  miles  above  Junction  City,  they  have  abundance  of 


40 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


excellent  building-stone  — a fine-grained,  compact  sandstone.  Lime- 
stone also  exists  in  abundance  on  the  higher  grounds.  About  twenty 
miles  beyond  Salina,  where  we  stopped  for  an  hour  or  two  on  our  way 
down,  I saw  on  the  opposite  side  of  a small  creek,  about  half  a mile 
south  of  the  road,  a bold  rocky  bluff.  I walked  across  the  intervening 
prairie,  which  was  like  a flower-garden,  as  near  to  the  bluff  as  I could 
get  for  the  stream.  I found  it  to  be  a solid  mass  of  rock — I think  it 
wTas  sand — of  straight  and  beautiful  cleavage,  thirty  or  forty  feet 
thick.  It  was  building-stone  of  excellent  quality.  Beyond  that  is  the 
brown  sandstone  of  which  I spoke  in  a former  letter,  and  which 
abounds  about  Fort  Harker  and  Ellsworth.  Professor  Mudge,  of  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  and  State  Geologist  for  1864,  speak- 
ing of  this  beautiful  stone,  told  me  that  it  belonged  to  the  same  geo- 
logical era  as  the  red  sandstone  of  Connecticut,  so  largely  used  for 
architectural  purposes  in  Mew  York,  and  is,  like  that  stone,  often  found 
marked  with  the  tracks  of  large  birds  of  a former  period. 

Limestone  is  found  in  many  places  far  beyond  Fort  Harker,  and  is 
probably  abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  State.  The  lime  made  of  that 
of  which  I have  spoken  more  particularly  is  white  and  of  excellent 
quality. 

Marble,  white,  black  and  variegated,  exists  in  many  places  and  in 
boundless  quantity  in  the  southern  parts  of  the  State.  The  white 
is  said  to  be  pure,  of  an  excellent  quality  and  susceptible  of  fine 
polish.  I saw  no  specimens;  but  at  Lawrence  a polished  specimen,  of 
black  marble,  taken  from  a quarry  near  Fort  Scott,  near  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  State,  was  shown  me,  which  for  lustre  and  fine- 
ness of  grain  I have  never  seen  excelled.  It  is  somewhat  harder  than 
any  other  American  marble  I have  seen  except  the  Potomac  variety, 
which  is  rather  a conglomerate  than  a marble.  For  mantles,  time- 
pieces, &c.,  this  Fort  Scott  marble  would  be  admirable.  There  will 
soon  be  a connection  by  rail  between  Fort  Scott  and  its  circumjacent 
region  and  the  Union  Pacific. 

But  why,  it  may  be  asked,  have  I dwelt  so  long  upon  the  single  sub- 
ject of  the  stone  of  this  country  that  there  is  no  room  in  this  letter 
for  the  coal,  the  salt,  the  gypsum  and  the  metals?  I have  done  so, 
because  stone  is  now  and  must  ever  be  the  principal  building-material 
in  Kansas.  The  cities  of  Leavenworth  and  Lawrence  are  mainly 
built  of  brick ; but  beyond  these,  where  stone  becomes  more  excellent 
in  quality,  and  the  clay  less  suitable  for  brick-making,  but  few  brick 
buildings  are  seen.  Even  at  Topeka  the  few  brick  houses  to  be  seen 
attest  that  the  business  of  brick-making  is  a failure.  At  Salina  a few 
brick  have  been  made ; but  when  thoroughly  burned  they  more 


MINERAL  RESOURCES  OP  KANSAS. 


41 


resemble  stone  in  color  than  ordinary  brick.  But  as  wood  is  scarce  and 
stone  plenty,  and  good,  and  easily  quarried,  the  latter  must  ever  be 
the  cheaper  material.  Frame  houses  are  costly,  because  much  of  the 
lumber  must  be  brought  from  St.  Louis  or  Chicago.  But  the  Great 
Dispenser  of  blessings  and  benefits,  if  He  has  withheld  some  things 
deemed  essential  to  human  comfort  and  well-being,  has  supplied  with 
a lavish  hand  other  things  even  better.  And  when  Kansas  shall  be 
fully  occupied,  no  people  in  this  Union  will  have  more  beautiful  or 
more  comfortable  dwellings. 

Of  the  other  mineral  resources  of  this  State  — which,  in  the  language 
of  Professor  Mudge’s  Beport,  contains  78,418  square  miles,  is  ten 
times  the  area  of  Massachusetts,  one-sixth  larger  than  Missouri,  and 
about  one-third  larger  than  England — the  extent  and  importance  of 
which  astonished  me,  I shall  speak  more  fully  in  my  next  letter. 


LETTER  X. — ■ Mineral  Resources  of  Kansas , continued — Coal — Salt  — 
Gypsum  •—  Alum — Iron. 

St.  Louis,  June  26,  1867. 

COAL. 

As  no  coal  is  yet  mined  in  Kansas,  except  in  a few  places  in  the 
southern  counties,  I cannot  pretend  to  speak  on  this  topic  from  my 
own  observation.  I shall  therefore  draw  largely  from  the  report  of 
Prof.  B.  E.  Mudge,  State  Geologist,  printed  in  1866.  I had  a long  and 
interesting  conversation  with  that  gentleman  at  the  State  Agricul- 
tural College,  near  Manhattan,  twenty  miles  this  side  of  Fort  Riley. 
His  views,  as  expressed  in  his  report,  have  been  but  slightly  modified 
by  his  subsequent  observations.  Under  the  head  of  “ Coal  Measures,” 
he  says : 

“ The  lowest  geological  formation  known  in  Kansas  is  represented 
by  the  upper  portion  of  the  Coal  Measures.  It  is  a continuation  of 
the  coal  field  which  covers  the  northeastern  part  of  Missouri  and  the 
southern  part  of  Iowa,  and  also  extends  into  the  Indian  territory 
south  of  this  State.  Like  the  deposits  of  those  States,  the  dip  of  the 
strata  here  is  to  the  northwest,  passing  at  a low  angle  of  inclination 
under  the  Permian,  Triassic  and  other  later  stratifications.  The  Coal 
Measures  cover  a larger  area  of  the  State  than  any  other  formation, 
being  nearly  one-third  of  the  whole.  The  fossils  of  this  epoch  are 
formed  all  over  the  eastern  part  of  Kansas,  and  exist  as  far  as  Fort 
Riley. 

“ The  line  which  separates  the  Coal  Measures  from  the  Permian 
runs  rather  irregularly  in  a northeasterly  and  southwesterly  direction. 
Considering  Fort  Riley  as  on  the  line  of  average  extent  westerly,  we 


42 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


shall  have  (in  the  width  of  the  State)  the  territory  of  the  coal  lands, 
308  miles  in  length  by  107  in  average  breadth,  which  gives  an  area 
of  22,256  square  miles 

“ The  Coal  Measures  here  have  undergone  little  change,  and  lie 
nearly  in  their  natural  position.  They  dip  on  the  average,  as  before 
stated,  slightly  to  the  northwest.  In  some  parts  of  the  State  this  in- 
clination cannot  be  seen,  and  in  some  instances  there  is  an  anticlinal 
ridge  or  dip  in  the  opposite  direction 

“ It  wfill  be  seen  that  this  small  disturbance  of  the  strata  is  very 
favorable  to  the  opening  of  coal  shafts.  No  ‘faults’  will  be  found  in 
the  beds,  and  the  probability  of  reaching  the  coal  at  reliable  depths  at 
any  given  point  will  be  nearly  certain.  It  also  gives  us  a larger  area 
of  the  coal  field,  as  a higher  inclination  would  soon  carry  the  heads 
too  deep  for  mining. 

“This  portion  of  the  State  also  shows  a great  uniformity  of  the 
strata.  About  one-fourth  of  the  whole  deposit  is  limestone.  South 
of  the  Kansas  river  the  strata  show  an  increase  of  thickness,  particu- 
larly in  the  shales,  accompanied  with  a slight  increase  of  dip.  This 
increase  of  thickness  is  very  marked  in  Miami  county,  as  developed 
by  the  oil  and  salt  borings. 

“It  is  well  understood  that  the  extreme  upper  portion  of  the  coal 
measures  does  not  contain  coal  of  the  first  quality,  or  seams  of  much 
thickness.  Those  peculiarly  favorable  conditions  of  climate,  &c., 
which  were  so  important  for  the  accumulation  of  vast  amounts  of 
vegetable  matter,  had  begun  to  change,  so  that  the  coal  was  small  in 
quantity  and  poor  in  quality.  A fine  illustration  of  this  passing  away 
of  the  peculiarities  of  the  vegetation  of  the  coal  period  is  to  be  seen  in 
the  banks  of  the  Neosho,  about  three  miles  from  Council  Grove.  It 
consists  of  a stratum  of  shale,  two  feet  in  thickness,  full  of  the  remains 
of  the  vegetation  of  the  period,  but  accompanied  by  a singular  com- 
mingling of  the  materials  with  the  mineral  substances,  and  the  vege- 
tation shows  less  of  the  transformation  from  its  original  state  than 
that  of  the  true  coal  beds.” 

Professor  Mudge  then  gives  in  detail  a report  of  the  borings  for 
coal  at  Leavenworth,  which  proved  successful.  The  parties  are  now 
engaged  in  sinking  a shaft  preparatory  to  practical  and  extensive 
mining.  From  it  I gather  that  142  feet  of  the  strata  passed  through 
were  above  the  level  of  the  Missouri  river,  and  230  feet  below,  when 
a vein  of  bituminous  shale  and  coal  94  feet  thick  was  reached.  At 
116  feet  below  the  level  of  the  river,  a vein  of  slate  and  coal  was  per- 
forated ; but  as  the  second  vein  is  known  to  be  greatly  superior,  little 
attention  was  paid  to  it.  This  second  vein  is  known  to  be  the  same 
that  is  largely  worked  on  the  line  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph 
Railroad,  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles  east  of  Saint  Joseph,  in  Northern 
Missouri,  and  which  I examined  with  some  attention  when  I was 
there  last  fall.  The  vein  there  is  about  six  feet  thick,  and  is,  I think, 
between  one  and  two  hundred  feet  below  the  surface.  The  coal 


MINERAL  RESOURCES  OF  KANSAS  — SALT. 


43 


looked  very  well,  and  much  of  it  was  brought  up  in  large  cubular 
blocks,  like  our  Pittsburgh  coal.  Professor  Mudge  says  this  vein 
varies  in  thickness  from  five  feet  to  six  feet  nine  inches. 

At  Lawrence  I visited,  in  company  with  Judge  Bailey,  of  the  Su- 
preme Court, — to  whom  I am  indebted  not  only  for  kind  attentions, 
but  for  much  valuable  information,  — an  establishment  on  the  bank  of 
the  Kansas,  at  the  lower  end  of  that  city,  where  they  are  busily  en- 
gaged in  boring  for  coal  by  steam-power — .using  apparatus  and  going 
down  at  a rate  that  could  hardly  be  beaten  in  our  oil  regions — averaging 
ten  feet  per  day.  When  we  were  there,  they  had  got  down  between 
three  and  four  hundred  feet.  They  are  confident  of  success,  but  may 
have  to  go  a thousand  feet. 

I did  not  hear  of  any  other  borings  being  in  progress.  In  some 
places  in  the  southern  counties  coal  crops  out  of  the  surface,  and  in 
the  Indian  Territory  south  of  Kansas,  the  above-mentioned  heavy 
vein  crops  out,  and  coal  is  as  plenty  as  it  is  in  Western  Pennsylvania. 

[Since  this  was  written,  a vein  of  coal  of  good  quality,  three  feet  in 
thickness,  has  been  discovered  in  the  face  of  the  bluff  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Smoky  Hill,  a few  miles  west  of  Fort  Harker,  by  Mr.  Shoe- 
maker, one  of  the  chief  contractors  on  the  Union  Pacific  Koad.] 

SALT. 

It  will  perhaps  be  new  to  most  of  the  readers  of  the  Gazette  to  be 
informed  that  salt  enough  can  be  made  in  Kansas  to  supply  the  entire 
country  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Professor  Mudge  dwells  at  great 
length  upon  the  subject.  He  speaks  of  many  springs  and  salt  marshes, 
one  of  the  former  of  which  is  near  Leavenworth.  I make  a short 
quotation : — 

“ The  great  supply  of  salt  which  is  to  meet  the  demand  for  Kansas 
and  the  neighboring  States  lies  at  various  points  in  a tract  of  country 
about  thirty-five  miles  wide  and  eighty  long,  crossing  the  Kepublican, 
Solomon  and  Saline  valleys.  [This  is  north  and  west  of  Salina,  where 
I was  water-bound  for  a week.]  The  signs  of  the  deposit  are  seen  in 
numerous  springs,  but  more  frequently  in  extensive  salt  marshes.  A 
description  of  one  of  these  marshes  will  be  good  for  large  numbers  of 
them,  as  they  are  very  similar  in  their  formation  and  appearance. 
Take  that  in  township  4,  range  2,  west  of  the  sixth  principal  meridian 
in  the  Republican  valley,  about  seventy-five  miles  northwest  of  Fort 
Kiley.  It  is  sometimes  called  the  Tuthill  marsh.  The  valley  here  is 
wide,  gradually  rising  to  the  high  prairies  so  common  in  that  part  of 
the  State.  The  marsh  covers  nearly  one  thousand  acres  more  or  less 
impregnated  with  saline  matter.  About  one-third  is  entirely  void  of 
vegetation,  which  the  brine  will  not  allow  to  grow.  It  is  perfectly 
level ; and  at  the  time  of  our  first  visit  was  as  white  as  a wintry  snow- 
field  with  a crust  of  crystallized  salt.  The  marsh  is  of  recent  alluvial 


44 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


formation,  composed  of  sand  and  loam,  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in 
thickness,  brought  down  by  the  wash  from  the  high  prairies,  which 
rise  gradually  on  three  sides.  In  this  alluvium,  at  various  depths,  are 
found  the  bones  of  buffalo,  deer,  and  antelope,  who  have  probably 
made  this  a resort  for  salt  for  long  ages  past,  as  they  are  seen  to  do  at 
the  present  time.  Underlying  this  is  the  Triassic  rock,  which  in  Eu- 
rope furnishes  so  much  salt  that  it  is  termed  the  Saliferous  system. 

“ The  incrustation  of  salt”  (the  Professor  continues)  “is  frequently 
three  eighths  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  This  is  scraped  up  and  used  in 
its  natural  state  for  salting  cattle,  &c. ; but,  for  domestic  purposes,  it  is 
melted  by  being  mixed  with  about  twenty  gallons  of  water  to  a bushel 
of  salt,  when  the  mechanical  impurities,  sand,  &c.,  readily  settle.  The 
salt  is  again  returned  to  a solid  state  by  evaporation.  The  marsh, 
after  scraping,  produces  a second  crop  of  salt  in  from  five  to  seven 
days  of  dry  weather ; and  after  repeated  scrapings  during  the  past 
three  years,  yields  as  full  a supply  as  at  first The  marsh  re- 

ceives the  drainage  of  the  valley  slope  about  two  miles  in  width  and 
about  five  miles  from  the  north,  and  consequently  the  brine,  as  it 
comes  from  the  source  below,  must  be  constantly  weakened  by  so 
large  a body  of  surface  water.” 

While  at  Salina,  Col.  Phillips  told  me  much  about  these  salt  springs 
and  marshes,  and  particularly  of  a very  singular  spring  which  rose  on 
the  very  summit  of  a conical  mound  standing  on  the  open  plain  some 
forty  or  fifty  feet  high.  He  kindly  invited  me  to  return  and  take  a 
tour  with  him  through  that  beautiful  prairie  region,  interspersed  with 
salt  springs,  buttes  crowned  with  iron  ore,  and  gypsum  beds  sufficient 
to  supply  the  world.  We  would  need  a wagon,  a tent,  and  ten  or 
twelve  days’  provisions. 

Salt  will  have  to  be  manufactured  by  solar  evaporation  in  Kansas. 
The  climate  is  admirably  adapted  to  it;  and,  indeed,  it  is  not  only 
the  most  economical  method,  but  the  article,  when  made,  is  better  in 
quality. 

Gypsum  abounds  in  Kansas.  One  vein  of  from  four  to  ten  feet  in 
thickness  crosses  both  the  Big  Blue  and  Little  Blue,  a few  miles  above 
their  junction.  South  of  the  Smoky  Hill  at  Salina  an  enormous  de- 
posit has  been  discovered  and  traced  for  miles.  It  it  also  found  in 
numerous  places  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Solomon  and  Saline  rivers. 
Colonel  Phillips  marked  it  on  a map  in  eight  or  ten  places.  The  qual- 
ity is  quite  equal  t6  the  Nova  Scotia,  and  some  thin  veins  of  pearly 
whiteness  run  through  the  heavy  deposits  south  of  the  Smoky  Hill. 

Alum  exists  and  might  be  manufactured  to  any  extent  in  Saline 
county,  on  the  Smoky  Hill.  It  is  known  to  extend  through  a range 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles. 

Iron  ore  is  found  in  considerable  abundance  in  many  places  west  of 


TOWNS  IN  KANSAS. — LEAVENWORTH. 


45 


Salina;  but  as  fuel  is  scarce  where  it  is  deposited,  it  is  not  likely  to  be 
of  much  importance  as  a source  of  wealth. 

Some  specimens  of  tin  ore  have  been  found,  but  the  mine  where 
they  were  taken  has  not  been  discovered.  There  is  no  gold  nor  silver, 
for  there  are  no  igneous  rocks. 

As  briefly  as  I could  I have  given  some  facts  regarding  the  mineral 
wealth  of  Kansas — enough  to  show  that  it  is  better  supplied  than 
has  been  generally  supposed.  I shall  add  no  general  remarks. 


LETTER  XI. — Leavenworth — Old  Fort  Leavenworth — Rivalry  with 
Kansas  City  — Lawrence  ■ — Its  Location , Beauty,  and  History  — * 
Swift  Retribution  — Brief  Mention  of  an  old  Friend. 

St.  Louis,  July  1,  1867. 

I do  not  know  that  I can  embrace  within  the  compass  of  one  letter 
all  that  I may  wish  to  say  under  this  head.  I have  already  spoken 
incidentally  of  some  of  the  smaller  towns  I have  seen,  especially  Junc- 
tion City  and  Salina,  and  the  last,  the  newest,  and  the  most  western 
— Ellsworth.  Rome,  on  Big  Creek,  sixty  miles  beyond  Fort  Harker, 
is  not  a town  yet ; but  in  less  than  a year  more  it  may  be  a wonderful 
place.  Rome!  How  I hate  this  putting  of  new  wine  into  old  bottles! 
Had  they  called  the  new  city  Big  Creek  it  would  have  been  less  ridicu- 
lous, whatever  might  have  been  said  of  its  euphony  or  appropriate- 
ness. 

LEAVENWORTH. 

This  thriving,  beautiful,  opulent,  and  commercial  city,  in  which  they 
claim  to  have  a population  of  27,000,  is  situated  on  what  maybe  called 
a valley  prairie,  but  well  lifted  up  above  the  floods  of  the  Missouri, 
and  environed  on  the  north  and  west  — but  not  closely  — by  grace- 
fully swelling  heights,  from  the  summits  of  which  there  are  extensive 
and  grand  prospects  in  all  directions.  Twice  have  I been  driven  along 
these  heights,  and  never  shall  I forget  the  charming  panoramas  that 
were  spread  out  before  me. 

Old  Fort  Leavenworth  — established  long  before  the  days  of  the 
Border  Ruffians,  while  Iowa,  and  Kansas,  and  Nebraska  were  still 
part  of  the  great  Northwest  Territory,  is  located  about  two  miles 
north  of  the  city,  on  the  top  of  a high  and  abrupt  bluff,  the  base  of 
which  is  washed  by  the  Missouri,  and  west  of  which  beautiful  rolling 
farms  and  prairies  spread  out  in  amplitude  and  grandeur — is  a charm- 
ing spot.  Nature  and  art  have  combined  to  render  it  one  of  the 
pleasantest  retreats,  whether  for  the  citizen  or  the  weary  soldier,  that 


46 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


I ever  saw.  Not  a feature  or  a trace  of  grim-visaged  war  meets  the 
eye  of  the  stranger.  Even  its  long-continued  use  as  a great  distribut- 
ing post  for  the  numerous  forts  and  stations  scattered  over  the  far- 
reaching  “ plains  ” is  about  ceasing,  and  ere  long  it  will  probably  be 
sold,  including  the  rich  and  magnificent  reservation  attached  to  it.  It 
is  very  valuable  property,  and  Congress  should  be  well  advised  of  that 
value  before  it  passes  into  private  hands.  Yisions  of  a large  fortune 
are  probably  looming  up  before  the  minds  of  some  sharp  operators 
even  now  in  connection  with  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Some  of  the  business  streets  of  Leavenworth  have  much  of  the 
aspect  of  our  old  and  substantial  commercial  cities.  Statistics  of  its 
business  would  be  both  interesting  and  surprising;  but  it  was  not  my 
object  to  collect  such  things.  I was  through  almost  every  part  of  the 
city,  and  one  thing  impressed  me  strongly  — the  almost  total  absence 
of  apparent  poverty  and  squalidity.  Most  of  the  buildings  are  brick, 
and  have  a neat,  fresh,  and  comfortable  aspect.  Outside  there  are 
many  elegant  suburban  residences  which  would  do  credit  to  any  city. 
And  the  trees  ! — nothing  can  surpass  them  for  thrift  and  beauty. 

But  Leavenworth  is  somewhat  in  jeopardy  commercially ; for  unless 
they  bring  a branch  road  from  the  Hannibal  and  St.  .Joseph  Bailroad 
at  Cameron  to  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri,  opposite  this  city,  and 
throw  a bridge  across  the  river,  so  as  to  connect  their  branch  of  the 
Union  Pacific  road,  which  runs  to  Lawrence,  with  the  great  systems 
of  railroads  east  of  the  Mississippi,  Kansas  City  — which  has  a bridge 
and  a branch  road  to  Cameron  already  made  sure  — will  bear  away 
the  palm.  But  let  both  have  bridges,  and  both  have  branch  roads  to 
Cameron,  and  I see  no  reason  why  Leavenworth  may  not  maintain 
the  ascendancy.  To  bridge  the  Missouri  at  Leavenworth,  however, 
will  be  a much  more  difficult  work  than  at  Kansas  City;  but  the  peo- 
ple of  the  former  place  say  it  can  be  done,  and  that  they  will  do  it.  In 
my  opinion  they  must  do  it,  or  be  content  to  be  thrown  off  the  line. 

LAWRENCE. 

On  my  return  from  Fort  Harker  I stopped  a little  more  than  two 
days  in  this  historic,  almost  classical  little  city,  around  whose  annals, 
although  brief  in  duration  as  the  life  of  childhood,  cluster  so  many 
memories  of  sterm  devotion  to  principle,  of  heroic  daring,  of  patient 
endurance,  of  carnage  and  devastation,  of  horrid  cruelties  and  fiend- 
ish murders,  at  the  calm  recital  of  which,  even  yet,  while  standing  on 
the  spot,  the  ears  tingle  and  the  heart  grows  sick.  Twice  given  to 
the  flames  by  ruthless  enemies,  and  its  streets  drenched  in  the  blood 
of  its  citizens,  it  has  risen  in  superior  beauty,  and  now  stands  before 


LAWRENCE. 


47 


the  eyes  of  the  admiring  stranger,  the  bright  centre  of  matchless  sur- 
roundings, the  very  image  and  embodiment  of  security,  peace,  and 
prosperity. 

The  main  part  of  the  city  lies  on  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas,  or 
the  Kaw,  as  it  is  more  frequently  called.  The  ground  rises  with  a 
gentle  ascent  from  the  river.  The  streets  running  in  one  direction 
are  named  after  the  several  States ; those  in  the  other  are  numbered. 
The  population  is  variously  given  at  from  seven  to  eight  thousand, 
and  is  rapidly  increasing.  Lawrence  is  a place  of  considerable  com- 
merce, especially  with  the  fine  district  lying  south  of  it,  which  is  set- 
tling up  with  great  rapidity,  and  through  which  they  are  building  a 
railroad.  (Of  all  these  I shall  speak  more  particularly  in  another  let- 
ter.) Manufacturing  of  various  kinds  is  prosecuted  largely,  especially 
of  household  furniture,  agricultural  implements,  and  woollen  goods. 
I visited  the  woollen  factory  in  company  with  Major  Smith,  son  of 
the  Hon.  George  W.  Smith,  formerly  of  Butler,  Pa.,  and  was  astonished 
at  the  excellent  variety  of  goods  I saw.  I shall  show  you,  when  I 
return,  a few  small  samples  which  I know  you  will  pronounce  equal 
to  anything  of  the  kind  made  in  the  United  States. 

But  it  is  impossible  to  convey  to  the  mind  of  one  who  has  never 
been  west  of  the  Missouri  an  idea  of  the  marvellous  beauty  of  a city 
set  in  such  natural  surroundings.  From  College  Hill  you  take  in  a 
range  of  miles  in  extent  of  which  the  eye  could  never  weary  — such  a 
singular  blending  of  variety  without  blemish,  of  intense  life,  and  yet 
of  profound  repose. 

The  history  of  Lawrence  is  written,  and  will  never  be  forgotten. 
But  I cannot  forbear  to  touch  upon  two  or  three  incidents  connected 
with  the  Quantrell  raid  which  affected  me  deeply.  John  Speer,  Esq., 
editor  of  the  Lawrence  Daily  Tribune , whose  father  was  my  neighbor 
in  Armstrong  county,  and  whom  I knew  well  in  his  boyhood,  lost  two 
sons  — lads  of  sixteen  and  eighteen.  One  perished  in  the  flames  of  a 
store  in  which  he  slept;  the  other  escaped  from  his  father’s  office,  and 
was  shot  through  the  body  in  the  street.  He  fell  near  a small  frame 
building.  An  officer  ordered  the  building  to  be  fired.  Young  Speer 
begged  one  of  the  raiders  to  draw  him  away  from  the  building,  so  that 
he  should  not  be  roasted.  He  promised  to  do  so,  and  crossed  the 
street  to  get  a comrade  to  help  him.  Two  came.  One  of  them,  after 
looking  at  him  attentively  for  a moment,  drew  his  revolver  and  shot 
him  through  the  head.  A third  son,  aged  fourteen,  saved  his  life  by 
giving  a feigned  name.  The  active  part  the  father  had  taken  in  the 
cause  of  freedom  during  the  border  troubles,  rendered  him  and  all 


4:8 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


who  bore  his  name  objects  of  special  vengeance.  Mr.  Speer’s  residence 
being  out  of  town,  he  himself  escaped. 

A gentleman  whose  name  was  on  the  list  of  the  doomed,  a book- 
seller, was  called  to  the  door,  shot  dead,  and  fell  inside  of  the  hall. 
His  wife,  a young  lady,  was  called  out,  and  the  house  fired.  She 
begged  hard  to  be  permitted  to  remove  the  body  of  her  husband  from 
the  burning  building,  but  this  was  rudely  denied.  One  of  the  mis- 
creants observed  that  she  had  something  in  her  hand.  It  was  her 
husband’s  ambrotype,  which  she  had  snatched  up  as  she  came  out. 
He  took  it  from  her,  looked  at  it,  and  then  threw  it  into  the  flames. 

Nearly  two  hundred  dead  bodies  strewed  the  streets,  and  an  almost 
universal  conflagration  had  laid  the  town  in  ruins.  No  resistance  was 
or  could  be  made.  A small  military  force  had  been  there  a few  days 
before,  but  their  commander,  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  and  en- 
treaties of  the  citizens,  sent  them  away,  assuring  them  that  there  was 
no  danger.  Poor  man ! he  remained  himself;  but  his  house  was  sur- 
rounded, and,  in  a vain  attempt  to  save  himself,  climbed  down  into 
his  own  well,  which  was  under  his  roof.  His  house  was  fired  and  he 
was  smothered. 

A strange  fatality  seemed  to  attend  this  lamentable  affair  on  all 
hands.  A messenger  was  coming  full  speed  to  apprise  the  people  of 
the  approach  of  the  invaders.  His  horse  stumbled  and  fell,  and  he 
was  killed.  But  for  this  he  would  have  arrived  in  time  to  have  had 
the  men  of  the  town  organized,  and  it  could  have  been  successfully 
defended  and  saved. 

I now  come  to  what  I believe  to  be  unwritten  history.  I have  it 
from  a gentleman  of  St.  Louis,  of  great  intelligence  and  probity. 
Having  done  their  work,  the  raiders,  who  were  mounted  men,  rapidly 
retreated  towards  the  Missouri  border.  It  appears  that  they  divided 
into  two  or  three  parties  or  squads.  A swift  messenger  bore  the 
tidings  of  what  they  had  done  at  Lawrence  to  the  brave  and  determined 
leader  of  a company  or  band  of  loyal  Missourians.  Believing  that  one 
of  these  squads  must  necessarily  cross  the  Osage  river  at  a certain 
ford,  he  posted  his  men  — some  under  the  dark  shadow  of  the  opposite 
bank,  and  some  in  a corn-field  on  a road  close  by  — and  awaited  their 
approach.  About  one  o’clock  in  the  morning  they  heard  them  coming. 
The  men  under  th6  bank  lay  still  until  the  raiders  were  nearly  across 
the  river ; then  one  simultaneous  volley  emptied  twenty  saddles,  and 
dead  and  wounded  were  alike  swept  down  the  strong  current  of  the 
Osage.  Twelve  only  cleared  the  ford,  to  meet  a similar  fate  at  the 
hands  of  the  men  in  the  corn-field.  Not  one  escaped. 

“What  was  done  with  the  wounded  among  the  twelve?”  asked 


TOWNS  IN  KANSAS. 


49 


my  informant  of  the  captain  of  this  band,  after  he  had  related  the 
incident. 

<‘0,  well,  I don’t  know;  they  all  got  into  the  river  somehow .” 

“ Oh ! if  that  river  could  speak,  what  tales  it  could  tell ! ” was  the 
passionate  exclamation  of  that  truly  loyal  but  terrible  man,  before  he 
narrated  that  affair.  Such  men  were  made  terrible  by  the  stormy 
scenes  in  which  they  lived  and  moved  — scenes  begun  by  border  ruf- 
fians battling  for  slavery,  and  continued  by  rebels. 

I cannot  close  this  notice  of  Lawrence  without  some  mention  of  a 
well-remembered  friend  of  my  early  life,  Judge  Smith,  formerly  of 
Butler,  Pa.,  and  who  is  well  known  to  many  of  the  readers  of  the 
Gazette.  He  was  in  Kansas  during  all  the  border  troubles,  in  which 
he  bore  an  active  and  conspicuous  part,  but  rather  as  a counsellor 
and  guiding  mind  than  as  a warrior.  Few  men  labored  harder,  suf- 
fered more,  or  did  more  to  bring  that  memorable  struggle  to  a suc- 
cessful and  triumphant  termination  than  he.  I was  glad  to  meet  him 
and  his  excellent  wife  — a Kittanning  lady  — - and  I highly  enjoyed  the 
hospitality  of  their  beautiful  home,  where,  in  quietude  and  peace,  and 
loved  and  honored  by  those  by  whom  they  are  surrounded,  they  can 
rehearse  to  their  stranger  friends  the  struggles,  the  battles,  and  the 
triumphs  of  bygone  days. 


LETTER  XII. — Towns  in  Kansas  — Atchison — • Kansas  City — Wy- 
andotte — Topeka — Waumega — Lecompton  — Manhattan. 

St.  Louis,  July  3,  1867. 

I have  said  that  I should  only  speak  of  such  cities  and  towns  in 
Kansas  as  I have  visited.  I did  not  visit  Atchison,  a lively  and  pro- 
gressive city  of  several  thousand  inhabitants,  situated  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Missouri,  some  fifteen  miles  below  St.  Joseph,  and  a like 
distance  above  Leavenworth.  A railroad  running  directly  west  for 
one  hundred  miles  through  a very  fine  country,  starts  here  and  is 
already  finished  and  in  operation  for  a distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles. 
A law  of  Congress  grants  the  company  a subsidy  in  lands  and  bonds 
for  a distance  of  one  hundred  miles ; and  doubtless  the  grant  will  be 
extended  as  soon  as  the  road  shall  be  completed  that  distance. 
Whether  it  will  be  continued  on  until  it  reaches  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  of  the  Kansas,  or  that  of  the  Platte,  or  both,  is  a question 
not  yet  determined.  Should  it  be  continued  in  a southern  direction 
to  the  first-named  road,  it  will  probably  reach  it  at  or  near  Manhattan, 
120  miles  west  of  Kansas  City.  Atchison  is  connected  by  rail  with 
St.  Joseph. 

4 


50 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


KANSAS  CITY. 

Is  in  Missouri,  just  across  the  line  dividing  that  State  from  Kansas. 
It  is  situated  on  a bluff  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Missouri,  about  a 
mile  below  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Kan- 
sas the  Missouri  makes  a great  bend,  changing  its  course  from  nearly 
south  to  almost  due  east.  It  is  a magnificent  site  for  a city,  whether 
regarded  in  the  light  of  its  immediate  location  or  of  its  commercial 
possibilities  as  a great  railroad  centre.  It  is  now  the  western  ter- 
minus of  the  Missouri  Pacific  road,  and  the  eastern  terminus  of  the 
main  line  of  the  Union  Pacific,  Eastern  Division.  Soon  it  will  have  a 
branch  road  to  Cameron,  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  road.  Ere 
long  a branch  of  the  North  Missouri  Bailroad  — which  begins  at  St. 
Louis,  crosses  the  Missouri  at  St.  Charles,  and  thence  runs  up  through 
the  northern  part  of  the  State  — will  be  made  to  Kansas  City.  Both 
these  important  branch  roads  are  to  cross  the  Missouri  at  Kansas 
City  on  the  same  bridge. 

In  addition  to  all  these,  Kansas  City  is  to  be  one  of  the  termini  of 
the  great  railroad  which  is  soon  to  be  made  from  several  points  in 
Kansas  to  Galveston  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which  is  but  little  over  six 
hundred  miles  distant,  through  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  fertile 
regions  on  the  continent.  The  central  stem  of  this  road  will  reach 
the  Union  Pacific  at  Lawrence;  the  eastern  at  Kansas  City,  and 
probably  the  western  will  terminate  at  Junction  City,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Bepublican  river,  three  miles  beyond  Fort  Biley.  The  people 
of  the  ambitious  little  city  last  named  talk  as  if  their  branch  was  a 
sure  thing.  That  to  Lawrence  is  sure,  for  they  are  pushing  it  on 
vigorously,  and  expect  to  have  twenty-four  miles  of  it  completed  and 
in  operation  by  January  next.  As  for  the  branch  to  Kansas  City 
there  seems  to  be  no  doubt.  All  these  roads  run  through  very  rich 
agricultural  lands,  and  all  traverse  good  coal-fields  before  they  come 
together  at  or  near  the  southern  border  of  the  State. 

Such  are  the  prospective  advantages  of  Kansas  City.  To  what  it 
may  grow  remains  to  be  seen.  Should  its  future  be  directed  by  men 
of  large,  liberal  and  enlightened  views,  I cannot  see  how  it  can  fail  to 
become  one  of  thp  chief  cities  of  this  vast  and  magnificent  region. 
Bat  should  its  destiny  fall  into  the  hands  of  narrow-minded,  greedy 
and  unscrupulous  adventurers,  and  should  a rowdy  element  collect 
there  and  give  it  a bad  moral  tone,  then  Leavenworth — which  has 
very  nearly  equal  geographical  advantages,  and  superior  local  advan- 
tages— will  maintain  its  position  as  the  chief  city  of  this  important 
centre.  The  struggle  for  the  ascendancy  between  these  two  cities  will 


TOWN'S  IN  KANSAS. 


51 


be  an  interesting  one,  and  will  probably  conduce  to  the  prosperity  and 
well-being  of  both. 

WYANDOTTE. 

This  town  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  and  is  bounded 
by  the  Missouri  on  the  east  and  the  Kansas  on  the  south.  The  loca- 
tion is  neither  ample  nor  pretty,  and  the  aspect  of  the  place  exhibits 
neither  taste  nor  thrift  on  the  part  of  the  people.  Kansas  City  is  in 
full  view  from  this  place,  looking  down  the  Missouri  and  across  the 
Kansas,  just  where  its  waters  mingle  with  those  of  the  greater  river. 

TOPEKA. 

This  is  the  capital  of  the  State.  The  situation  is  pretty;  and 
although  the  city  is  somewhat  straggling,  and  the  streets  in  bad  con- 
dition, there  are  many  handsome  residences  and  several  good  hotels. 
I was  there  but  a short  time,  and  can  only  speak  of  it  in  general 
terms.  I visited  the  ground  where  they  .are  laying  the  foundations 
of  the  capitol.-  It  is  to  be  built  of  the  fine  soft  magnesian  limestone 
found  around  Junction  City,  of  which  I spoke  in  a former  letter,  and 
will  doubtless  be  a very  handsome  edifice.  To  be  the  seat  of  the 
government  of  a State,  however,  is  in  my  opinion  a very  questionable 
advantage  to  a city.  Topeka  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas  river, 
thirty  miles  west  of  Lawrence. 

WAUMEGA. 

This  is  a prettily  situated  new  town  on  the  railroad,  some  forty-five 
miles  west  of  Topeka.  I did  not  stop,  but  I observed  a fine  large 
hotel,  and  a fair  appearance  of  business.  The  surrounding  country 
is  very  good;  and  as  it  is  settled  up,  Waumega  will  grow. 

LECOMPTON. 

This  town  of  bad  political  fame  is,  or  was,  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
Kansas,  nearly  midway  between  Lawrence  and  Topeka.  Its  record 
seems  to  have  driven  people  away  from  it,  and  but  little  of  it  remains. 
I was  not  there. 

MANHATTAN. 

Leaving  Junction  City  on  Monday  morning  the  17th,  I ran  down 
on  the  train  twenty  miles,  and  stopped  off  at  this  beautiful  little  town 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue,  intending  to  remain  one  day ; but  I was 
so  much  pleased,  and  found  so  many  objects  of  interest,  that  I re- 
mained two  days. 

I had  letters  which  introduced  me  at  once  to  the  social  life  of  the 
place  and  to  the  most  generous  hospitality,  and  I had  an  opportunity 


’ 52 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


to  look  more  closely  into  the  character  of  the  people  generally  than 
of  any  other  town  I visited  in  Kansas.  The  population  is  only  about 
one  thousand,  but  there  is  ample  room  on  their  magnificent  town 
site  for  a hundred  thousand. 

Manhattan  was  originally  founded  by  a little  colony  from  Cincinnati, 
who  migrated  from  that  city  in  a small  steamer  which  they  purchased 
for  the  purpose.  They  steamed  down  the  Ohio,  up  the  Mississippi,  up 
the  Missouri,  and  then  up  the  Kansas  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue. 
That  was  their  destination,  and  their  boat  never  returned.  It  was 
kept  for  a dwelling-place  until  provision  for  the  families  could  be  made 
on  shore.  But  before  they  left  the  boat,  and  before  a single  dwelling 
had  been  erected,  the  spot  for  a school-house  had  been  selected,  and 
measures  taken  for  its  immediate  erection,  so  that  they  might  have 
at  once  a school  for  their  children  and  a place  of  worship  for  all.  This 
was  some  twelve  years  ago,  and  long  before  the  railroad  which  has 
brought  fresh  life  and  prosperity  to  their  town  was  even  thought  of. 

Take  it  all  in  all,  I think  Manhattan  and  its  surroundings  the  most 
beautiful  part  of  Kansas  that  I have  seen,  which  is  the  same  as  saying 
that  it  is  the  most  beautiful  portion  of  this  earth’s  surface  upon  which 
my  eyes  ever  rested.  The  Rev.  Alexander  Sterrett,  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  who,  by  a mandate  which  it  was  not  in  me  to  resist, 
made  me  his  guest,  took  me  in  his  buggy  to  the  summit  of  Blue  Mont, 
a conical  eminence  some  two  hundred  feet  high,  about  a mile  from 
town.  Such  a combination  of  the  grand  and  the  beautiful  — the  soft 
green  of  the  gracefully  undulating  prairies,  the  dark  rich  foliage  of 
the  trees  which  skirted  and  marked  the  winding  course  of  three 
streams,  the  Kansas,  the  Blue  and  the  Wild  Cat,  for  miles  north  and 
west  and  east,  the  beautiful  farms  with  which  the  broad  landscape  was 
dotted  all  over,  with  their  comfortable-looking  and  really  pretty  stone 
houses,  and  the  bright  and  quiet-looking  town  in  the  valley  beneath, 
with  the  College  on  the  rising  ground  in  the  rear  — is  rare  indeed. 
Senator  Wade,  who,  with  others  of  the  Senatorial  party  of  excursionists, 
visited  this  spot,  was  greatly  delighted,  and  uttered  the  rather  strong 
remark,  that  the  view  from  the  high  mountain  where,  long  ago,  the 
Evil  One  spread  his  panorama  of  temptation  before  the  eyes  of  the 
Redeemer,  could  ha^e  been  nothing  to  that. 

I have  spoken  of  the  intelligence  of  this  community  and  of  their 
virtues.  By  their  fruits  we  may  know  them.  The  Congregational, 
Episcopalian,  Presbyterian,  and  Methodist  denominations  are  all 
represented,  and  each  have  a neat  house  of  worship  ; but  the  most  cor- 
dial relations  exist  among  them  all.  The  people  are  too  intelligent  to 
permit  differences  of  this  kind  to  divide  them.  Of  this  fact  I can 


TOWNS  IN  KANSAS. 


53 


speak  from  my  own  observation.  I was  assured  that  no  better  graded 
free  school  was  to  be  found  in  Boston  than  here,  aud  certainly  they 
have  a very  ample  and  well-finished  school  edifice.  But  a single  place 
exists  in  the  town  where  intoxicating  drinks  are  vended,  and  even 
that  is  likely  to  be  closed.  Some  time  ago  a man  set  up  a billiard 
table,  but.it  would  not  pay,  and  he  went  off  with  it.  In  fact,  idleness, 
vice,  and  rowdyism  are  almost  unknown. 

There  are  many  good  stores  in  the  place,  and  the  principal  street 
has  something  of  a city  aspect.  Buildings  aie  going  up  rapidly,  nearly 
all  of  that  beautiful  stone  of  which  I spoke  in  a former  letter;  and 
altogether  the  place  appears  to  be  busy  and  thriving. 

There  is  a fine  water-power  at  Manhattan.  Some  three  miles  above, 
by  the  road,  but  more  than  three  times  that  distance  by  the  course  of 
the  stream,  there  is  a considerable  fall  in  the  Big  Blue  — which  is  a 
large,  clear,  and  standing  river - — at  the  head  of  which  a substantial 
stone  dam  has  been  erected.  A race  of  three  miles  across  the  level 
neck  of  the  peninsula,  and  down  past  the  base  of  Blue  Mont,  will  bring 
the  water  to  the  town,  and  give  a fall,  as  I was  informed,  of  about 
twenty-four  feet — enough  to  propel  a very  large  amount  of  machinery. 
The  Kansas  itself,  I am  told,  can  also  be  made  available  for  a like 
purpose.  I see  no  reason  why  this  may  not  become  an  important 
manufacturing  town. 


LETTER  XIII. — Towns  in  Kansas  — Junction  City  — Solomon  City  — 
Salina  — The  Neosho  Valley  — The  Seasons  in  Kansas  — A Word  to 
such  as  may  think  of  Emigrating. 

St.  Louis,  July  8,  1867. 

Of  the  remaining  towns  in  Kansas  which  I have  seen — Junction 
City,  Solomon  City,  Salina,  and  Ellsworth  — I have  already  spoken 
pretty  freely,  and  need  say  but  little  more.  They  are  all  ambitious 
little  places,  and  are  all  the  creatures  of  this  road.  Each  is  the  centre 
of  a large  and  fertile  district,  wfith  which  it  will  grow. 

JUNCTION  CITY, 

situated  as  it  is  at  the  lower  end  of  the  fine  valley  of  the  Republican 
river,  and  only  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  from  the  head  of  Keosho  val- 
ley— probably  the  finest  wheat-growing  portion  of  Kansas  — with 
which  the  people  of  that  town  hope  ere  long  to  be  connected  by  rail- 
road— has  aspirations  far  beyond  those  of  a mere  county  seat  or  the 
centre  of  a good  agricultural  surrounding. 

I was  much  pleased  with  the  spirit  of  enterprise  everywhere  mani- 


54 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


fested  in  this  new  and  bustling  place;  yet  there  was  much  about  it 
that  did  not  strike  me  favorably.  To  have  a superabundance  of 
saloons,  restaurants  and  billiard-tables,  and  not  a single  finished  church 
edifice  or  a commodious  school-room,  is  not  the  way  to  begin  a city. 
There  is  a spirited  daily  paper  published  here  by  a Mr.  Martin,  a 
Pennsylvanian,  a gentleman  who  is  probably  doing  more  for  Junction 
City  than  any  other  man  in  it.  Of  the  peculiar  building-stone  found 
here  in  exhaustless  abundance,  I have  already  spoken  at  length. 

SOLOMON  CITY. 

This  new  city  is  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Solomon  river  and 
the  Smoky  Hill,  nearly  forty  miles  west  of  Junction  City.  I did  not 
stop  at  it,  and  of  its  prospects  I am  unable  to  speak.  If  it  can  draw 
to  it  the  trade  of  the  fine  valley  of  the  Solomon,  it  will  be  a prosper- 
ous place. 

SAL  IN  A. 

This  is  the  place  where  I was  flood-bound  for  a week,  and  of  which 
I have  already  spoken  pretty  fully.  Being  the  centre  and  county 
seat  of  a large  and  very  fertile  county,  and  near  to  the  salt  springs, 
the  gypsum  beds,  and  other  deposits  of  valuable  minerals,  its  steady 
prosperity  is  sure. 

There  are  some  minor  places,  and  some  newly  laid-out  towns,  which 
it  is  not  necessary  in  this  place  to  mention.  These  (spoken  of  in  this 
and  the  two  preceding  letters)  are  all  the  towns  of  any  importance  in 
which  I have  been. 

THE  NEOSHO  VALLEY. 

This  is  the  name  of  what  is  claimed  to  be  the  most  fertile  valley  in 
Kansas,  and,  next  to  that  of  the  Kansas,  the  most  extensive.  The 
Neosho  river  is  a tributary  of  the  Arkansas.  It  rises  on  the  southern 
slope  of  a ridge  or  swell  of  no  great  elevation,  a few  miles  south  of  the 
Smoky  Hill,  about  the  meridian  of  Fort  -Riley,  and  pursues  a south- 
eastern course  until  it  reaches  the  neighborhood  of  the  flourishing 
town  of  Humboldt,  one  hundred  miles  south  of  Lawrence.  Thence  its 
course  is  due  south  into  the  Indian  territory  and  to  the  Arkansas. 
Its  length  in  the  State  of  Kansas  is  not  much  less  than  two  hundred 
miles.  The  valley ris  wide. 

This  valley  is  supposed  to  be  the  best  wheat  land  in  the  United 
States.  Forty  bushels  to  the  acre  is  not  unusual.  A farmer  at  Car- 
lisle, in  Allen  county,  raised  forty  bushels  per  acre  on  a field  of  forty 
acres.  Allen  county  lies  south  of  Lawrence.  Mr.  Ice,  of  Chase 
county,  which  lies  south  of  Fort  Kiley,  raised  in  1866  eight  hundred 
and  twenty  bushels  of  wheat  on  sixteen  acres,  being  fifty-four  and 


NEOSHO  VALLEY  — SEASONS  IN  KANSAS. 


55 


one-fourth  bushels  to  the  acre.  Judge  Bailey,  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Kansas,  who  gave  me  these  facts,  attributes  the  extreme  produc- 
tiveness of  that  valley  to  the  washings  of  the  immense  deposits  of 
gypsum  existing  on  the  head-waters  of  that  stream. 

Judge  Bailey,  in  speaking  of  stock,  told  me  that  heifers  in  the  south- 
ern counties  of  Kansas  almost  invariably  produce  calves  at  the  age  of 
two  years,  and  frequently  at  a less  age.  He  mentioned  one  case  of 
his  own  personal  knowledge,  where  the  age  of  the  mother  was  less 
than  a year  and  a half.  This  precocity  must  greatly  facilitate  the 
rearing  of  cattle  in  that  country. 

The  town  of  Humboldt,  in  Allen  county,  has  a population  of  over 
fifteen  hundred.  It  has  four  church  edifices  and  good  schools.  It  was 
burned  by  the  rebels  in  1862.  Emperio  is  another  flourishing  town 
in  the  Heosho  valley,  south  of  Topeka.  There  are  many  others. 

To  show  how  that  country  is  settling  up,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
state  the  fact,  which  I find  in  a statement  before  me,  made  by  official 
authority,  that  during  the  first  fifteen  days  of  June,  1867,  there  were 
located  in  the  land  office  at  Humboldt  49,320  acres  of  land. 

In  these  letters  I have  said  more  about  Kansas  than  I at  first  in- 
tended, and  I have  done  so  because  the  more  I saw  of  it,  and  con- 
sidered it,  and  the  more  I mingled  with  its  truly  intelligent  and 
generous  people,  the  more  I was  pleased  with  it.  Perhaps  equal  to 
Illinois  in  fertility,  it  is  far  more  beautiful  and  salubrious.  In  no  part 
that  I have  seen  is  the  idea  of  monotony  even  suggested.  But  it  has 
its  drawbacks.  Wood  is  scarce,  and  its  short  winters  — confined  to 
January,  February  and  part  of  March  — are  often  sharp  and  severe, 
with  high  winds.  Water  is  abundant  and  good,  whether  in  streams, 
or  springs,  or  wells.  I drank  none  in  that  State  that  was  not  sweet 
and  wholesome.  There  is  rain  enough.  From  Leavenworth  to  Fort 
Harker  I talked  with  the  people  about  this,  and  the  unvarying  testi- 
mony was,  that  there  had  been  no  lack  of  rain  since  1860,  which  was 
a very  dry  year.  And,  contrary  as  it  may  seem  to  the  common  im- 
pression, the  drought  of  that  year  was  less  severe  at  Salina  and  Fort 
Harker  than  in  the  more  eastern  portions  of  the  State. 

The  seasons  in  Kansas  are  peculiar.  The  winters  are  dry.  In  the 
latter  part  of  March  the  rainy  season  begins,  and  continues  into  June. 
After  that  there  is  but  little  rain  until  the  following  spring.  The  rain 
falls  in  heavy  showers.  I witnessed  some  such  as  I never  saw  in  the 
Eastern  States.  A rainy  day  is  a thing  unknown  in  Kansas,  or  what 
we  call  a “ drizzle.”  After  a shower  the  ground  dries  up  directly. 
The  latter  part  of  summer  is  almost  uniformly  clear  and  dry,  and  the 
rays  of  the  sun  pour  down  through  the  clear  atmosphere  with  great 


56 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


intensity ; but  the  heat  is  mitigated  by  an  almost  constant  breeze. 
The  fall  months,  to  the  last  of  December,  are  dry  and  pleasant.  I 
was  at  Fort  Eiiey  last  November,  and  found  the  weather  bright,  and 
quite  warm  and  clear,  and  the  roads  dusty. 

Any  man  who  may  think  of  going  to  Kansas  as  a farmer,  must  bear 
in  mind  that  he  needs  a good  deal  more  than  a tract  of  land  to  begin 
with.  He  cannot  here  improvise  a dwelling  in  a day  or  two,  as  the 
first  settlers  of  the  “ back-woods  ” did,  and  many  things  which  could 
there  be  obtained  easily  and  at  his  door,  are  not  to  be  had  here.  He 
had  better  take  at  least  a part  of  his  house  with  him,  and  as  much 
money  as  will  enable  him  to  fence  and  break  up  at  least  one  good 
field.  Arrange  to  have  fruit-trees  sent  on  as  soon  as  the  ground  can 
be  prepared  for  their  reception.  Never  mind  agricultural  implements, 
for  they  can  be  obtained  there  cheaper  and  better  than  they  can  be 
brought  from  the  east.  Plant  trees  quickly  and  plenty  of  them,  for 
fruit,  for  shade  from  the  sun  and  shelter  from  the  winds,  and  for 
beauty.  I only  saw  one  farm  in  the  Kansas  valley  that  I thought  had 
trees  enough,  and  it  was  very  beautiful. 

It  is  wonderful  how  vigorously,  beautifully  and  rapidly  trees  grow 
in  that  country.  They  really  look  as  if  they  themselves  rejoiced  in 
their  fulness  of  life,  and  in  the  poetic  language  of  the  prophet,  they 
would  “ clap  their  hands.”  I think  I am  more  of  a cold  utilitarian 
than  an  enthusiast;  but  truly  those  Kansas  trees  awakened  emotions 
that  bordered  on  enthusiasm. 

I know  of  no  situation  where  a man,  who  should  go  out  without 
proper  provision  and  forecast,  and  set  himself  down  upon  one  of  those 
broad  prairies,  would  feel  so  utterly  destitute,  helpless  and  forlorn. 
But  let  him  ascertain  what  he  has  to  do,  and  prepare  himself  to  do  it, 
and  there  is  probably  no  place  on  this  earth  where,  in  so  short  a time, 
he  can  have  a valuable  and  productive  farm  and  a most  desirable 
home. 


LETTEB  XI Y. — Education  in  Kansas — The  Free  School  System  — 
State  Normal  School  — Peculiar  Mode  of  Teaching  — State  Agricul- 
tural College  — University  of  Kansas  — Equality  and  Commingling  of 
the  Sexes  in  the  higher  Schools. 

Allegheny  City,  July  16,  1867. 

FREE  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

Amongst  a people  so  intelligent  and  progressive  as  those  of  Kansas, 
I was  prepared  to  find  that  the  cause  of  popular  education  was  re- 


EDUCATION-  IN’  KANSAS. 


57 


ceiving,  both  from  the  State  and  the  people,  that  care  and  attention 
which  it  so  justly  merits.  To  show  how  it  is  progressing,  as  well  as 
to  show  to  what  proportions  the  Free  School  system  has  already 
grown,  I compile  the  following  table  from  the  Sixth  Annual  .Report 
of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Institutions.  By  it,  at  a glance,  the 
reader  may  note  the  progress  made  in  a single  year : — 


1865. 

1866. 

Increase. 

Number  of  Districts 

721 

871 

150 

Number  of  Teachers 

899 

1,086 

89 

Number  of  Scholars  enrolled 

. .V 

26,341 

31,258 

4,917 

Teachers’  Salaries  . 

$86,898 

115,924 

$29,026 

Yalue  of  School-Houses 

122,822 

318,897 

196,075 

Assessed  in  Districts  for  School  Purposes, 

106,589 

192,620 

86,031 

In  addition  to  these  there  are  83  Select  Schools,  with  113  teachers 
and  3,228  scholars ; three  Academies  and  Institutes,  nine  Colleges  and 
Universities,  numbering  39  Professors  and  Teachers,  and  958  students. 
Two  of  these  are  Commercial  Colleges.  All  of  these  are  private  or 
denominational  institutions  which  have  received  no  aid  from  either 
the  State  or  the  National  Government. 

Still  additional  to  these  are  three  higher  State  institutions,  viz., 
The  State  Normal  School  at  Emporia,  in  Lyon  county,  about  sixty 
miles  southwest  of  Lawrence,  with  three  Professors;  the  State  Agri- 
cultural College,  with  five  Professors,  situate  on  a beautiful  eminence 
overlooking  Manhattan  ; and  the  State  University  at  Lawrence,  which 
went  into  operation  in  September  1866.  Of  these  three  last-mentioned 
institutions  I am  able  to  speak  somewhat  more  particularly. 

STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

The  primary  object  of  this  school  is  the  education  of  teachers.  It 
had  been  in  operation  about  two  years  when  the  report  of  1866,  now 
before  me,  was  made.  It  is  one  of  the  most  cherished  and  highly 
valued  institutions  in  the  State.  “Not  merely  to  learn  the  lessons  of 
the  day,  but  to  learn  how  to  teach  it  to  others , is  the  object  definitely 
aimed  at,”  say  the  visitors  in  their  report.  Of  the  system  or  plan  of 
teaching  in  that  school  the  report  gives  so  clear  and  graphic  an 
account  that  I know  not  how  I can  interest  the  reader  more  than  by 
copying  an  entire  paragraph  : — 

“ One  of  the  most  noticeable  points  was  the  rigid  persistence  with 
which  the  topical  system  of  recitation  was  enforced.  The  old  stereo- 
typed system  of  “questions  and  answers”  was  utterly  discarded. 
Topics,  oftener  than  otherwise  consisting  of  a single  word,  were  as- 
signed to  the  pupils,  and  each,  without  the  slightest  reference  to  text- 


58 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


books  or  memoranda,  was  required  to  rise  and  develop  it  in  his  own 
language,  and  in  proper  consecutive  order,  with  constant  and  copious 
blackboard  illustrations.  Thus  the  topic  assigned  to  a pupil  might  be 
“ The  Andes.”  He  was  required  to  sketch  upon  the  board  a complete 
map  of  that  system  of  mountains,  with  all  their  important  ramifica- 
tions— the  valleys,  plateaux,  and  lakes  they  enclose,  and  the  rivers 
flowing  from  them;  to  describe  the  height  of  all  the  different  chains 
and  principal  peaks ; to  give  the  local  names,  latitude  and  longitude, 
altitude,  climate  and  special  characteristics  of  all  the  different  points 
of  the  map.  When  all  this  has  been  done,  the  topography  of  the 
region  in  question  is  fixed  in  bold  and  indelible  relief  upon  the  mind 
of  the  pupil.  In  like  manner  the  pupils  in  Physical  Geography  were 
required  to  illustrate  and  describe  the  ocean  currents,  the  winds,  vol- 
canic and  tidal  action.  Those  in  history,  to  draw  maps  of  important 
historic  regions  and  battle-fields.  Those  in  Geology,  to  draw  sections 
of  strata  and  sketches  of  fossils.  In  Grammar,  Crosby’s  novel  method 
of  written  analj^sis  was  used.  Witnessing  one  recitation  in  arith- 
metic would  certainly  excite  in  the  most  inveterate  old  fogy  a supreme 
disgust  at  the  aimless  and  worthless  “ciphering”  of  our  District 
Schools.  In  reading,  the  difference  was,  if  possible,  still  more  strik- 
ing. In  the  elementary  class  the  phonetic  analysis  of  sounds  was 
taught,  accompanied  by  remarkably  neat  and  tasteful  phonetic  print- 
ing of  entire  lessons  upon  the  board.  The  result  of  this  is,  that  nor- 
mal graduates  will  understand  the  pronunciation  of  English  words! 
The  utmost  deliberation,  distinctness  and  volume  of  utterance  was 
demanded.  In  the  more  advanced  class  the  graces  of  elocution  were 
taught,  with  a somewhat  extended  study  of  distinguished  authors. 
In  vocal  music,  all  the  pupils  were  required  to  thoroughly  master  the 
rules  of  musical  notation  by  a drill  as  rigid  as  any  other  study,  and 
the  class  singing  was  strong,  harmonious,  and  spirited.  A noteworthy 
feature  was  found  in  the  general  teaching  exercises.  Under  Prof. 
Kellogg’s,  direction  the  entire  school  performed  astonishingly  with 
rapid  combinations  of  numbers;  and  Prof.  Horton  discussed  and 
elucidated  the  important  political  and  scientific  news  of  the  day.” 

A new,  handsome,  and  commodious  edifice  has  just  been  erected  for 
this  school,  and  a boarding-house  of  stone,  large  enough  to  accommo- 
date fifty  boarders. 

KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE. 

This  is  the  only  institution  of  learning  I visited  while  in  the  State. 
As  before  stated,  it  is  near  Manhattan,  and  from  its  windows,  and 
more  especially  from  its  lofty  cupola,  the  view  all  around  for  miles  is 
exceedingly  beautiful  and  varied.  The  institution  is  in  a flourishing 
condition.  I witnessed  the  recitation  of  several  classes;  and  if  there 
were  fewer  novelties  in  the  mode  than  are  described  above,  the 
instruction  was  none  the  less  thorough.  I was  both  surprised  and 
pleased  at  the  readiness  with  which  the  students  appeared  to  grasp 
the  subject-matter  of  the  lessons  in  hand. 


EDUCATION  IN  KANSAS. 


59 


In  this  College,  Agriculture  is  taught  as  a science  and  by  practical 
operations.  A lot  of  eighty  acres  of  excellent  land  has  been  enclosed 
with  a handsome  stone  fence,  and  a beginning  made  both  in  agricul- 
ture and  horticulture.  In  time  this  will  be  very  beautiful  as  well  as 
useful.  It  is  not,  however,  what  is  called  a manual  labor  institution. 
An  agriculturist  is  to  be  engaged,  under  whose  supervision  the  opera- 
tions of  this  department  will  be  carried  on.  To  the  President,  Kev. 
J.  Denison,  D.D.,  and  Professor  B.  F.  Mudge,  from  whose  report  as 
State  Geologist  I drew  largely  in  speaking  of  the  mineral  resources 
of  Kansas,  I am  under  many  obligations  for  hospitality  and  kind 
attentions  while  at  their  beautiful  place. 

President  Denison,  in  his  report,  makes  a few  general  remarks  upon 
the  progress  of  Kansas,  which  I take  the  liberty  to  copy  as  exactly 
pertinent  to  my  object  in  making  these  brief  notices : 

“We  already  have  a number  of  students  from  the  counties  west  of 
this  point.  The  pulsations  through  the  great  artery  of  travel  to  the 
Kocky  Mountains  and  Santa  Fe  are  already  felt  in  the  rapid  increase 
of  settlers  in  these  counties.  The  cars  of  the  Union  Pacific  Kailway', 
E.  D.,  will  run  to  Salina,  seventy  miles  west  of  this,  by  next  spring, 
and  soon  to  the  western  limit  of  the  State.  The  benefits  of  this  thor- 
oughfare of  travel  to  the  State  are  almost  incalculable;  its  cost  to 
the  State  is  very  little.  So  much  the  more,  then,  can  the  State  afford 
to  apply  a portion  of  its  increasing  means  to  the  development  of  its 
institutions  of  learning.  To  the  myriads  of  settlers  that  are  coming 
on  this  thoroughfare,  and  those  pouring  into  its  northern  and  southern 
borders,  the  State  cannot  afford  to  refuse  the  means  of  education,  or 
be  slow  or  parsimonious  in  providing  the  means  for  them.” 

This  college  is  less  than  twenty  miles  this  side  of  Fort  Kiley.  By 
act  of  Congress  it  has  an  endowment  of  ninety  thousand  acres  of  land. 

UNIVEKSITY  OF  KANSAS. 

This  is  a new  institution,  the  first  session  having  opened  September 
12,  1866.  It  has  an  endowment  of  forty-six  thousand  acres.  The 
College  edifice,  which  stands  on  a commanding  eminence  overlooking 
the  city  of  Lawrence,  is  a handsome  stone  building.  I regretted  that 
I did  not  reach  Lawrence  on  my  return  trip  until  the  day  after  the 
commencement  exercises  had  closed ; but  the  citizens  spoke  in  glow- 
ing terms  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Faculty  had  discharged  their 
duties  and  led  their  students  forward  in  sound  learning.  This  insti- 
tution places  both  sexes,  so  far  as  education  is  concerned,  on  an 
equality.  On  this  point  President  Kice,  in  his  report,  remarks: 
“This,  without  doubt,  is  both  just  and  expedient.  It  is  no  small 
honor  that  the  Mediterranean  State  should  be  the  first  to  recognize 
the  rights  of  woman  in  her  educational  system.” 


60 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


The  same  is  true,  I believe,  of  the  Normal  School,  as  I know  it  is 
of  the  Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan.  There  I saw  young  men 
and  young  women  reciting  together  in  the  same  classes,  and  certainly 
there  appeared  to  be  quite  as  much  vigor  of  apprehension  and  under- 
standing on  the  part  of  the  latter  as  of  the  former.  Towards  each 
other  their  deportment  was  that  of  well-trained  brothers  and  sisters 
in  the  home  circle.  Kansas  is  sufficiently  civilized  to  mingle  the  sexes 
in  the  higher  schools  without  danger  of  folly  or  impropriety. 


LETTER  XV. — Return  of  the  Rond  Creek  Party — The  line  to  Denver — 
Pme,  Timber , and  Coal — The  Mountain  Snows  must  be  avoided  — 
The  Route  and  Distance  to  New  Mexico — Superiority  of  the  more 
Southern  Route  — Surveying  Party. 

St.  Louis,  June  29,  1867. 

The  gentlemen  who  went  on  to  Pond  Creek  from  Fort  Harker  have 
returned  safe  and  well.  John  H.  Perry,  Esq.,  the  President  of  the 
Company,  accompanied  them.  They  all  speak  in  glowing  terms  of 
the  interest  of  the  trip  and  of  the  beauty  of  the  country  through  which 
they  passed.  The  savages  did  not  molest  them.  Gen.  Hancock,  with 
a small  military  force,  as  I said  before,  accompanied  them  up.  The 
return  trip  was  made  in  stage-coaches. 

Pond  Creek  is  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  the  western  boundary  of 
the  State  of  Kansas ; yet  for  the  entire  distance  from  Fort  Harker  to 
that  place  the  prairies  are  clothed  with  luxuriant  grass,  and  the  soil 
is  rich  and  deep.  Timber  is  scarce,  but  there  seems  to  be  no  lack  of 
water.  The  soil  is  better  than  that  I have  already  described  between 
Salina  and  Fort  Harker,  a deep  brown  sandy  loam,  well  adapted  to 
the  culture  of  both  corn  and  wheat.  All  these  gentlemen  concur  in 
representing  the  country  beyond  Fort  Harker  as  still  better  than  that 
over  which  we  passed  on  this  side  of  that  point.  They  speak  of  the 
prairies  of  the  Buffalo  grass  region  as  exceedingly  beautiful  and  pic- 
turesque, and  that  the  country  is  sure  to  settle  up  as  fast  as  the  rail- 
road progresses. 

At  Fort  Wallace  the  excursionists  organized  a meeting  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  expression  to  the  effect  which  all  that  they  had  seen 
and  experienced  had  upon  their  minds.  The  resolutions  adopted 
strongly  and  earnestly  commend  this  great  enterprise  to  the  favorable 
consideration  of  Congress  and  the  country,  and  urged  its  immediate 
prosecution. 

Pond  Creek  (Fort  Wallace)  is  an  important  point  on  this  line;  for 
there  or  in  that  vicinity  it  is  that  the  line  to  New  Mexico  leaves  the 


THE  MOUNTAIN  SNOWS. 


61 


line  to  Denver.  The  distance  from  Pond  Creek  to  Denver  is  187  miles; 
to  Santa  Fe,  by  the  stage  road,  it  is  402  miles.  Both  lines  pass  over 
good  ground  for  railroad  purposes,  and  through  regions  well  adapted 
to  the  rearing  of  stock.  I am  told  that  the  plains  of  Colorado  are  not 
adapted  to  agriculture,  except  where  irrigation  is  feasible;  but  as  it  is 
not  very  long  since  we  were  told  that  this  whole  region,  through  a 
considerable  portion  of  which  our  party  travelled  with  great  delight, 
was  an  uninhabitable  desert,  this  story  about  the  indispensableness 
of  irrigation  may  be  of  the  same  kind.  For  more  than  four  hundred 
miles  west  of  the  Missouri  river,  as  we  can  testify,  no  irrigation  is 
needed.  On  the  route  to  Denver,  the  line  of  the  road  will  pass  through 
extensive  tracts  of  excellent  pine  timber,  and  over  inexhaustible  mines 
of  coal. 

THE  MOUNTAIN  SNOWS. 

Everything  on  this  side  of  Denver  is  very  good.  There  is  neither 
desert  nor  difficulty  of  any  kind,  but  what  lies  beyond  Denver  causes 
prudent  men  to  pause  and  consider.  It  seems  now  to  be  a settled  point 
that  the  Union  Pacific  Bailway , Eastern  Division,  will  be  carried  through 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona  to  its  ultimate  and  original  destination , and  not 
through  the  stupendous  system  or  labyrinth  of  mountains,  which 
begins  at  Denver,  and  ends  only  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento. 
Into  the  natural  gorges  of  these  mountains,  and  into  the  deep  artificial 
cuts  required  for  a railroad,  the  light,  dry  snows  of  that  region  will 
drift  in  such  quantities  as  to  defy  all  human  skill  and  power  to  keep 
them  clear.  Even  as  late  as  the  first  of  the  present  month,  as  I have 
been  informed,  some  of  the  passes  through  the  mountains,  between  the 
heads  of  the  Platte  and  the  valley  of  Utah,  were  still  covered  with 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet  of  snow  — not  snow  which  had  fallen  upon 
them,  but  which  had  been  driven  in  by  the  winds,  and  over  which  men 
and  teams  were  passing  as  upon  solid  ground.  But  locomotives  and 
trains  cannot  run  upon  the  top  of  snow-drifts,  and  where  they  are  so 
enormous,  it  is  certain  that  they  cannot  run  through  them.  It  is 
equally  certain  that  those  long,  deep,  narrow  natural  gorges  or  arti- 
ficial cuts  cannot  be  kept  clear  by  any  muscular  or  mechanical  force 
that  can  be  employed  for  that  purpose,  for  if  cleared  to-day,  they  may 
be  filled  again  to-morrow.  To  travel  through  such  a region  in  the 
winter  season  — and  the  winter  in  those  mountains  is  nearly  half  the 
year  — would  be  attended  with  such  frightful  peril  thet  few  would 
have  the  hardihood  to  brave  it;  for  imagine  a passenger  train  caught 
in  a snow-drift,  far  from  any  human  habitation,  and  buried,  perchance, 
in  a few  hours,  under  a snow-bank  in  which  even  the  train  itself  would 
soon  cease  to  be  a distinguishable  object. 


62 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


Some  propose  to  put  the  road  under  roof  in  all  such  places ; but  this 
is  easier  talked  about  than  done.  Moreover,  the  advocates  of  that 
expedient  appear  to  forget  that  fire  is  an  adversary  still  more  formi- 
dable and  uncontrollable  than  snow.  It  may  suit  the  temper  of  some 
high-spirited  and  energetic  gentlemen  to  expunge  the  word  impossible 
from  their  vocabulary,  and,  having  a mighty  government  at  their 
back,  to  imagine  themselves  to  be  omnipotent ; but  prudent  men,  such 
as  those  who  manage  the  Eastern  Division,  hesitate  to  rush  blindly 
mto  difficulties  with  which  neither  they  nor  any  other  men  are  able 
to  grapple. 

They  have,  however,  that  which  their  energetic  rivals  of  the  Platte 
line  have  not — an  admirable  alternative.  They  can  drop  to  a more 
southern  latitude,  where  there  are  no  snows  to  obstruct  them,  and  no 
stupendous  heights  to  scale.  This  southern  deflection  of  the  line 
begins  at  or  near  Pond  Creek. 

THE  ROUTE  TO  NEW  MEXICO. 

The  following  information  of  the  country  between  Pond  Creek  and 
Santa  Fe  I have  from  W.  S.  Stone,  Esq.,  agent  of  the  Santa  Fe  Stage 
Company: 

Miles. 

From  Pond  Creek  to  Fort  Lyon  on  the  Arkansas  river,  about  500 
miles  west  of  the  State  of  Arkansas  — a good  buffalo  grass 

region,  rolling  prairies,  estimated, 65 

Thence  up  the  valley  of  the  Purgatoire  to  Trinidad,  the  base  of 
the  mountains  — an  excellent  agricultural  valley;  the  uplands 


rolling  prairies,  fertile,  and  covered  with  buffalo  grass,  . . 126 

Thence  to  summit  of  Eaton  Pass, . 15 

Thence  to  Eed  river, 14 

Thence  to  Santa  Fe,  through  numerous  valleys  and  several  Mexi- 
can towns,  some  of  considerable  size, 182 


402 


This  is  the  stage  road.  It  is  very  probable  that  the  railroad  line 
will  run  a few  miles  east  and  south  of  Santa  Fe  to  Albuquerque,  via 
Fort  Union,  on  the  Eio  Grande,  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  Eaton 
Mountain,  and  thus  avoid  some  mountains,  and  keep  in  a better  coun- 
try. Fort  Union  is  the  largest  distributing  post  for  military  stores  in 
the  West.  The  country  all  the  way  from  Pond  Creek  to  Albuquerque 
is  probably  the  finest  grazing  region  in  the  United  States;  but  it  is  a 
region  utterly  valueless  until  opened  and  made  accessible  by  railroad 
communication.  But  when  it  shall  be  so  developed,  it  will  become  a 


SURVEYING  PARTY. 


63 


source  of  immense  national  wealth  and  prosperity.  Throughout  the 
greater  part  of  that  immense  pastoral  region,  cattle  require  no  stored 
food  in  the  winter  season,  for  the  grass  of  the  prairies,  whether  green 
or  dry,  is  always  good  and  nutritious. 

The  recent  discovery  of  rich  gold  placers  in  New  Mexico  adds 
greatly  to  the  importance  of  this  road.  In  fact,  it  seems  that  from 
the  point  where  the  mountains  are  first  reached,  on  the  western 
border  of  the  vast  buffalo-grass  plains,  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  the 
line  of  this  road  will  run  through  one  continuous  field  of  the  precious 
metals,  besides  much  timber  and  coal. 

Leaving  Albuquerque,  the  line  through  the  heart  of  Arizona— that 
richest  of  our  territories  in  gold  and  silver,  but  the  most  difficult  to 
reach — presents  no  serious  difficulties.  Long  valleys,  running  in  the 
right  direction,  bear  it  onwards  towards  the  border  of  California, 
whence,  turning  the  southern  extremity  of  the  great  Sierra  Nevada 
range,  it  passes  up  through  Southern  California,  midway  between  the 
mountains  and  the  ocean,  to  San  Francisco,  touching  the  fine  port  of 
San  Diego  by  a branch,  and  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  and 
the  port  of  Guaymas,  if  need  be,  by  others. 

This  route  may  be  somewhat  longer  than  that  through  TJtah  and 
Nevada,  but  its  gradients  will  be  so  much  less  that  it  will  more  than 
compensate  for  this  lengthening  of  the  line.  For  all  purposes  for 
which  a railroad  is  desired  to  be  shorter,  to  wit,  greater  speed  and 
economy  of  transportation,  it  is  believed  that  this  is  really  the  shorter 
line.  But  whether  it  is  longer  in  miles  than  the  other  is  not  yet 
known ; for  the  length  of  line  necessary  to  wind  through  the  laby- 
rinthine mountains  of  Utah  is  yet  an  unknown  quantity.  Be  that  as 
it  may,  it  is  certain  that  its  grades  will  be  lighter,  that  it  can  never 
be  obstructed  by  snow,  and  that  the  country  it  will  open  up  and 
develop,  whether  agricultural,  or  pastoral,  or  mineral,  is  tenfold  more 
valuable. 

A party  of  gentlemen  of  scientific  ability,  about  eighty  in  number, 
headed  by  General  W.  W.  Wright,  chief  engineer,  and  comprising, 
among  others,  Dr.  John  Leconte,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  as 
geologist,  Dr.  Perry,  who  was  engaged  in  the  survey  of  the  line 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  with  eminent  topographers 
and  photographers,  are  now  engaged  in  a careful  examination,  survey, 
and  development  of  this  route.  The  party  is  out  under  the  auspices 
and  employ  of  this  company.  Other  surveying  parties  of  equal 
ability  are  now  engaged  in  locating  the  road  between  Pond  Creek 
and  Denver. 


64 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


LETTER  XVI. — General  Subject  of  Routes  discussed  — Description  of 
the  Valley  of  the  Platte  — The  Region  between  the  Heads  of  the  Platte 
and  the  Sierra  Nevada  — The  great  Utility  of  both  Roads  — The 
Route  beyond  Kansas  — Fertility  of  the  Country  on  the  Arkansas  and 
Purgatoire  Rivers — Immense  Deposits  of  Coal  — Pine  Timber  — New 
Mexico,  its  Minerals , and  other  Resources. 

Allegheny  City,  July  12,  1867. 

GENERAL  SUBJECT  OF  ROUTES  DISCUSSED. 

In  a former  letter  I stated  the  fact  that  the  Union  Pacific  Railway 
Company,  Eastern  Division,  had  resolved  to  carry  the  main  line  of 
their  road  to  the  Pacific,  not  directly  across  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
through  Utah  and  Nevada,  and  over  the  Alpine  heights  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  range,  but  by  a more  southwestern  route  through  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Colorado,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ; thence  through 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  to  the  southeastern  border  of  California, 

• and  thence,  through  the  great  valley  of  Southern  California,  to  San 
Francisco. 

This  important  change  of  route  will  be  attended  by  many  and  great 
advantages,  the  chief  of  which,  probably,  is,  that  the  tremendous  snow- 
drifts of  the  route  directly  through  the  mountains  will  be  avoided. 
Another  is,  that  the  more  southern  route  is  level  compared  with  the 
other.  On  the  line  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  running  from 
Sacramento  to  Salt  Lake,  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountain  summit  is 
seven  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  which  is  one  thousand 
feet  greater  elevation  than  any  other  railroad  summit  in  the  world; 
and  the  Rocky  Mountains  cannot  be  surmounted  by  any  pass  between 
the  Rio  Grande  and  the  heads  of  the  Missouri  at  much,  if  any,  less 
altitude.  On  the  other  hand,  on  the  line  through  New  Mexico,  Ari- 
zona and  Southern  California,  there  are  no  formidable  mountain  bar- 
riers ; and  where  the  elevation  is  considerable,  as  in  the  pass  of  the 
Sierra  Madre,  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  there  is  no  snow.  The  Sierra 
Nevada,  on  that  more  southern  route,  has  sunk  down  almost  to  a plain, 
and  up  through  the  magnificent  valley  of  Southern  California,  cele- 
brated for  its  extraordinary  productiveness,  there  is  no  difficulty, 
neither  is  there  any  difficulty  between  the  Sierra  Madre  range  and 
the  Colorado  river,  which  space  embraces  the  entire  breadth,  from 
east  to  west,  of  the  territory  of  Arizona. 

The  country  through  which  this  more  southern  route  runs  is  all 
valuable  — very  much  is  rich  in  soil,  and  still  more,  especially  in  Ari- 
zona, is  rich  in  minerals  of  almost  every  kind.  It  is  a region  of  vast 


VALLEY  OF  THE  PLATTE. 


65 


and  varied  productions,  but  one  which  never  can  be  properly  devel- 
oped until  a great  line  of  railway  shall  connect  it  with  the  States  on 
and  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  with  the  cities  of  the  Pacific  coast. 
But  when  so  connected  and  made  easily  and  quickly  accessible,  will 
give  an  impulse  to  our  national  prosperity  beyond  anything  known  in 
our  past  experience. 

I have  no  inclination  to  depreciate  the  grand  and  unexampled  en- 
terprise of  our  California  brethren  in  pushing  a railroad  from  Sacra- 
mento across  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  into  the  rich  mining  State  of 
Nevada.  Their  energy  demonstrates  that,  although  in  choice  of 
routes  they  may  find  it  necessary  to  traverse  the  dreary  and  serpen- 
tine valley  of  the  Humboldt  to  reach  the  region  of  Salt  Lake,  the 
great  work  will  still  go  on,  conferring  immense  material  benefits,  and 
generously  rewarding  them  for  their  outlay.  Nor  am  I at  all  inclined 
to  underrate  the  other  great  work  of  making  a road  from  Omaha,  up 
the  valley  of  the  Platte,  and  over  the  Eocky  Mountain  range,  to 
the  great  valley  of  Utah;  for  this,  too,  will  be  a road  the  value  of 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  estimate;  as  over  it  Southern  Dacotah, 
Idaho  and  Utah,  at  least,  can  be  reached.  But  as  to  the  value  of  the 
country  over  which  these  two  divisions  of  one  great  line  will  pass,  as 
compared  with  that  of  the  “Eastern  Division  ” through  Kansas,  Colo- 
rado, New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  there  is  an  incalculable  difference. 

Alexander  K.  McClure,  Esq.,  editor  of  the  Chambersburg  Repository , 
who  went  up  the  U.  P.  Eailroad  of  the  Platte  in  May  last,  thus  de- 
scribes the  valley  of  that  river : 

“ There  are  but  few  settlers  on  the  line  of  the  road ; and  after  we 
enter  what  is  called  the  Platte  Plains,  about  Fort  Kearney,  there 
seems  to  be  little  that  can  ever  invite  the  husbandman.  The  valley 
or  vast  plain  is  bounded  on  every  side  by  vast  bluffs,  ranging  from 
twenty  to  thirty  miles  apart,  and  the  bluffs  seem  to  be  terribly  sterile 
and  repulsive.  The  Platte  river  rolls  lazily  along  south  of  the  rail- 
road, hugging  the  southern  bluffs  at  times,  and  again  striking  out 
near  the  centre  of  the  valley ; but  it  tires  the  eye  to  look  at  it  and 
its  surroundings.  It  is  a murky,  shallow,  treacherous  stream,  with 
shifting  sand  for  its  bed,  and  naked  banks  skirting  it  most  of  the  way. 
I have  looked  for  miles  along  its  banks  without  seeing  so  much  as  a 
shrub,  much  less  a tree ; but  at  times,  where  it  nears  the  bluffs,  it  puts 

out  along  its  banks  a stunted,  miserable  growth  of  cottonwood 

The  valley  is  a miserable  waste,  and  I fear  ever  must  be 

I have  not  found  a single  stream  in  it  but  the  Platte  river  — the 
whole  plain  thus  far,  north  of  the  river,  not  furnishing  a single  tribu- 

iy There  is  not  a habitation  on  the  route  for  nearly  two 

hundred  miles,  but  such  as  are  necessary  to  accommodate  the  railroad 
and  travel.” 


5 


fi6  KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 

An  intelligent  gentleman  of  close  and  accurate  powers  of  observa- 
tion, who,  in  the  summer  of  1859,  travelled  leisurely  across  the  conti- 
nent to  California,  furnished  the  author  with  an  extended  and  mi- 
nutely graphic  description  of  the  country  over  which  he  travelled  — 
to  wit,  the  valley  of  the  Platte,  the  mountains  north  of  Denver,  the 
basin  of  Utah  north  of  Salt  Lake,  the  valley  of  the  Humboldt,  and 
thence  to  the  Sierra  Nevada — very  nearly  the  route  of  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway  of  the  Platte,  and  that  of  the  Central  Pacific  Rail- 
road from  Sacramento  to  Salt  Lake.  Upon  reaching  the  eastern  base 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  under  the  head  of  “ General  Remarks 
upon  the  region  traversed/’  he  said : 

“ The  country  passed  over  from  Fort  Laramie  to  this  place  is  good 
for  nothing,  unless  I except  Bear  River  Yalley;  and  that  is  said  to  be 
too  cold  for  agricultural  purposes.  Certainly  it  is  good  for  nothing 
else.  With  the  exception  of  that  about  Bear  River,  the  land  is  gen- 
erally poor  and  rocky.  The  low  bottoms  on  the  head  of  the  Hum- 
boldt are  rich;  but  there  we  had  ice  before  the  middle  of  August; 
and  from  that  down  it  is  too  dry,  even  if  it  would  otherwise  do. 
Then  there  is  no  timber,  except  a little  on  the  main  range  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  till  we  come  to  Bear  River,  and  none  from  that, 
except  a few  scrubby  cedars,  until  we  come  to  the  Sierra  Nevada 
mountains.  The  Indians  live  on  it,  but  how  no  one  knows.  And 
then  nine-tenths  of  this  extensive  region  are  mountains.  I do  not 
believe  that  it  will  ever  be  anything  but  what  it  now  is.” 

It  is  manifest  that  a road  through  such  a region  must  be  mainly 
dependent  upon  its  through  business  for  its  revenue.  Yet  the  enter- 
prise is  a good  one;  for  by  no  other  can  the  Black  Hill  country, 
Southern  Dacotah,  the  great  Salt  Lake  valley,  and  the  head  of  Lewis 
river,  which  runs  through  the  best  part  of  Idaho,  be  reached.  But 
whether  it  is  destined  ever  to  be  a safe  and  reliable  route  to  Califor- 
nia remains  to  be  seen.  How  its  managers  are  to  cope  with  the  tre- 
mendous difficulties,  topographical  and  climatic,  towards  which  they 
are  driving  with  unprecedented  speed,  and  with  a boldness  which,  in 
the  eyes  of  ordinary  men,  borders  on  recklessness,  is  a question  not 
yet  solved. 

Since  the  managers  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  of  the  Kansas, 
with  a forecast  eminently  wise  and  prudent,  have  resolved  to  seek  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific  by  a more  southern  line,  strictly  speaking,  there 
is  no  longer  any  rivalry  or  competition  between  these  two  great 
national  enterprises.  Each  will  develop  the  region  through  which 
it  passes,  be  its  natural  value  what  it  may;  and  both  may  reach  the 
bay  of  San  Francisco,  one  approaching  it  from  the  northeast,  through 
Northern  California,  the  other  from  the  southeast,  through  Southern 


THE  ROUTE  BEYOND  KANSAS. 


67 


California.  The  one  will  render  Utah  and  Nevada  accessible,  and 
probably  be  the  means  of  rooting  out  the  social  abominations  exist- 
ing in  the  former  territory;  the  other  will  bring  the  beautiful  plains 
and  valleys,  and  the  innumerable  mines  of  gold,  silver  and  copper  of 
the  more  southern  range  of  States  and  territories  within  easy  reach 
of  the  great  body  of  the  American  people.  And  whatever  may  be  the 
amount  and  value  of  the  through  trade  of  the  latter,  whether  more  or 
less,  its  way  business  cannot  fail  to  be  enormous.  Although  but  little 
more  than  halfway  through  Kansas,  it  is  already  profitable,  as  I have 
heretofore  shown,  both  to  the  Government  and  the  Company;  and  I 
now  intend  to  show  that  there  is  not  likely  to  be  a section  of  a hun- 
dred miles  on  the  entire  route  but  will  contribute  handsomely  in  some 
shape  to  its  revenue  and  support.  I now  propose  to  speak  more  par- 
ticularly of 

THE  ROUTE  BEYOND  KANSAS. 

Pond  Creek,  the  point  to  which  a number  of  the  gentlemen  of  our 
party  extended  their  excursion,  is  two  hundred  miles  west  of  Fort 
Harker,  up  the  valley  of  the  Smoky  Hill,  and  four  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five miles  west  of  the  Missouri  river  at  Kansas  City.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  miles  southeast  of  Denver,  and  four  hun- 
dred and  two  miles  northeast  of  Santa  Fe.  It  is  to  this  point  that 
the  Government  subsidy  of  bonds  to  this  road,  granted  by  Act  of  Con- 
gress, extends.  It  is  within  some  six  or  eight  miles  of  the  eastern 
line  of  Colorado,  and  a little  nearer  to  the  southern  line  of  Kansas 
than  the  place  of  beginning. 

Of  the  country  through  which  the  road  passes  in  the  State  of  Kan- 
sas, I have  already  spoken  so  fully  that  I need  not  advert  to  it  here. 
At  Pond  Creek,  or  somewhere  in  that  vicinity,  the  southwestern  line 
leaves  the  line  to  Denver  — now  being  located  ( and  which  is  by  no 
means  abandoned ) — and  passes  over  a rolling  buffalo-grass  prairie 
“ divide”  to  Fort  Lyon,  on  the  Arkansas,  a distance  of  about  sixty- 
five  miles.  An  extensive  district  of  very  good  agricultural  land  lies 
around  Fort  Lyon.  Leaving  Fort  Lyon,  the  line  follows  the  valley  of 
the  Purgatoire*  river,  in  a southwest  direction,  over  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  — still  through  a buffalo-grass  region  — - to  the  eastern 
base  of  the  Eaton  mountain,  which  is  covered  with  a heavy  growth 
of  valuable  timber,  and  abounds  in.  coal  of  superior  quality,  some  of 
the  veins  being  from  eleven  to  thirteen  feet  in  thickness. f 


* This  name  is  generally,  but  incorrectly,  written  Purgatory  on  our  maps.  Out  on 
the  plains  some  of  our  fellows  have  corrupted  it  into  “ Picket-wire .” 

f-  Since  my  return  home  I received  a letter  from  a gentleman  in  St.  Louis,  stating 
that  Mr.  Sanderson,  proprietor  of  the  Santa  Fe  stages,  had  brought  to  that  city  some 


68 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


[While  compiling  these  letters  for  publication  in  this  form,  I saw  a 
letter  from  a gentleman  of  great  energy  and  intelligence,  with  whom 
I am  well  acquainted,  and  who  is  exploring  that  country.  He  writes: 

“ This  part  of  Colorado  is  said  to  be  the  richest  and  best  in  the 
whole  territory;  and  with  its  splendid  climate,  tempered  in  the  sum- 
mer by  the  mountain  breezes,  and  so  mild  in  winter,  that  such  snow 
as  falls  does  not  lie  more  than  two  or  three  days,  its  pure,  dry  atmo- 
sphere— these  valleys  being  a mile  above  tide  — together  with  the 
views  of  the  Spanish  Peak,  Greenhorn  Mountain,  and  the  main  range 
of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  which  are  constantly  visible,  I honestly  be- 
lieve that,  when  made  accessible  by  the  railroad,  it  will  be  the  great 
sanitarian  of  the  United  States.” 

In  another  place  he  says  : “ The  country  I passed  through  yester- 
day, at  the  foot  of  the  Eaton  Mountains,  and  in  the  valleys  of  numer- 
ous creeks  which  empty  into  the  Purgatoire,  is  very  rich  and  beauti- 
ful, and  contains  numerous  ranches.  It  resembles  the  best  part  of 
East  Tennessee,  is  exceedingly  healthy,  and  well  protected  from  the 
extreme  rigors  of  winter,  so  that  animals  do  not  require  to  be  shel- 
tered.” 

Again  he  says  : — “ The  pine  timber  a few  miles  west  of  Trinidad, 
on  the  Purgatoire,  and  extending  up  that  mountain  country,  is  repre- 
sented as  exceedingly  large  and  abundant.  Mr.  Bransford  thinks 
that  Eastern  Kansas  will  rely  for  its  supply  of  lumber  upon  this  coun- 
try as  soon  as  the  railroad  is  built.”  He  fully  confirms  all  I have 
stated  as  to  the  abundance  of  coal  in  that  country.] 

Skirting  the  eastern  base  of  this  mountain  for  over  one  hundred 
miles  — the  mountain  being  on  the  right  and  the  vast  and  fertile 
plains  of  northwestern  Texas  on  the  left — passing  Fort  Union,  the 
great  distributing  depot  for  government  supplies  for  all  the  South- 
west— the  line  turns  more  to  the  west,  and  reaches  the  Eio  Grande  at 
the  town  of  Albuquerque,  seventy-five  miles  southwest  of  Santa  Fe. 

NEW  MEXICO. 

Hear  the  head  of  Purgatoire  Eiver  the  line  enters  the  territory  of 
Hew  Mexico,  after  having  run  about  two  hundred  miles  diagonally 
across  the  southeast  corner  of  Colorado — the  most  fertile  portion  of 
that  territory,  ancl  in  which,  as  already  stated,  there  are  extensive 
deposits  of  coal  and  forests  of  pine  timber.  Hew  Mexico  has  an  area 


specimens  of  excellent  bituminous  coal,  which  he  took  from  veins  of  from  eleven  to 
thirteen  feet  in  thickness,  which  crop  out  of  the  slope  of  the  Raton  mountain,  170 
miles  southwest  of  Pond  Creek,  on  the  natural  route  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway 
of  the  Kansas.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  estimate  the  value  of  such  a coal  mine  in 
such  a locality. 


NEW  MEXICO. 


69 


of  121,201  square  miles,  nearly  two-thirds  of  which  lie  east  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  which  bisects  the  territory  the  entire  distance  from  North  to 
South.  The  northwestern  quarter  of  New  Mexico  is  among  the  most 
rugged  and  mountainous  regions  on  the  continent,  but  rich  in  miner- 
als. The  entire  eastern  portion  is  comparatively  level,  being  the 
most  western  portion  of  the  great  fertile  plains  which  slope  towards 
the  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf,  and  are  drained  by  the  more  southern 
tributaries  of  the  Arkansas,  the  Red  River  and  some  of  the  larger 
streams  of  western  Texas.  The  southern  half,  from  Albuquerque  to 
the  southern  boundary,  is  a country  of  diversified  aspect,  made  up  of 
hills  and  valleys.  The  valleys  are  exceedingly  fertile  and  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  culture  of  the  vine.  Mr.  Hall,  in  his  valuable  work, 
“ Guide  to  the  Great  West,”  remarks  : 

“ The  valleys  and  slopes  in  the  eastern  section  consist  generally  of 
very  productive  land,  the  soil  in  this  part  being  adapted  to  the  culture 
of  sugar.”  Again  he  says  : “ Cotton  of  good  quality  is  grown  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  Territory;  and  the  wine  of  the  region,  from 
Scorro,  or  even  from  Albuquerque,  to  the  Texas  line  at  Franklin,  or  the 
Mexican  line  at  El  Paso,  is  celebrated  for  its  fine  quality.  Peaches 
are  excellent  and  abundant  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Territory.” 

There  is  probably  no  portion  of  North  America  so  well  adapted  to 
the  rearing  of  sheep  as  New  Mexico.  Already  millions  are  found 
there ; and  were  there  a communication  by  rail,  their  numbers  could 
be  indefinitely  increased.  While  out  beyond  Fort  Riley  I saw  many 
Mexican  wagons,  with  large  bodies,  loaded  with  wool,  not  in  sacks, 
but  in  bulk.  These  wagons  were  unloaded  into  warehouses  at  the 
railroad  stations,  just  as  hay  is  thrown  loose  into  a barn  and  tramped 
down.  I examined  some  of  this  wool  and  found  it  to  be  of  very  good 
quality.  As  it  requires  at  least  two  months  for  one  of  these  wagon 
trains  — each  wagon  drawn  by  four  yoke  of  oxen  and  attended  by 
two  men — to  make  the  trip  from  Santa  Fe  to  Junction  City,  the 
expense  of  carrying  this  wool  cannot  be  less  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  per  ton.  With  heavier  return  loads,  and  more  ascending 
grade,  it  takes  three  months  for  the  Santa  Fe  trains  to  make  the 
return  trips. 

But,  after  all,  the  great  value  of  New  Mexico  is  in  its  mineral  trea- 
sures, gold,  silver  and  copper.  Discoveries  of  rich  mines  of  gold  have 
recently  been  reported,  but  the  information  is  yet  too  vague  to  war- 
rant more  than  a general  mention  of  the  fact.  Bituminous  coal  exists 
in  great  abundance  on  the  eastern  slopes ; and  near  the  Old  Placer 
gold  mine,  about  twenty-seven  miles  southeast  of  Santa  Fe,  and  but  a 
few  miles  from  the  contemplated  route  of  this  road,  Anthracite  Coal 
has  been  found.  Of  this  Mr.  Hall  says : 


70 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


“ The  coal  bed  at  the  Placer  Diggings  is  very  accessible  and  easily 
worked,  measuring  from  four  feet  eight  inches  to  four  feet  ten  inches 
in  thickness,  and  is  generally  very  free  from  earthy  or  other  impuri- 
ties. It  seems  to  be  a true  Anthracite,  not  semi-bituminous,  but  as 
destitute  of  bitumen  as  the  Pennsylvania  variety.” 

Crossing  the  Rio  Grande  at  Albuquerque,  the  line  of  the  road  pur- 
sues a western  course  over  the  Sierra  Madre,  (or,  as  some  maps  have 
it,  the  Sierra  de  los  Mimbres,)  and  enters  Arizona  about  midway 
between  the  northern  and  southern  boundaries  of  the  Territory.  But 
of  that  important  Territory  — containing,  probably,  more  mines  of 
gold,  silver  and  copper  than  any  other  portion  of  our  national  domain 
of  equal  extent  — I propose  to  speak  in  my  next  letter. 


LETTER  XVII. — Arizona  — California. 

Allegheny  City,  July  31,  1867. 

ARIZONA. 

This  large  Territory,  the  area  of  which  is  120,912  square  miles,  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Utah,  on  the  east  by  New  Mexico,  on  the 
west  by  California,  and  on  the  south  by  Sonora,  one  of  the  most  valu- 
able of  the  States  of  Mexico.  Its  northern  line  is  on  the  same  parallel 
as  the  southern  line  of  Kansas,  87  degrees ; its  southwestern  corner, 
on  the  Colorado  river  at  Fort  Yuma,  about  forty  miles  above  tide,  is 
in  latitude  32  degrees  30  minutes. 

From  the  Rio  Grande  at  Albuquerque,  where  it  is  intended  that  this 
road  shall  cross  that  river,  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  Arizona  in  lati- 
tude 35  degrees,  the  distance  is  about  120  miles.  From  the  river  to 
the  summit  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range  is  about  ninety  miles,  up  which 
the  ascent  is  said  to  be  gentle.  On  the  western  side  the  country 
descends,  first  to  the  table-lands  of  Central  Arizona,  and  thence  to 
Colorado  and  the  Gulf  of  California,  a distance  of  four  to  five  hundred 
miles. 

Entering  Arizona  a little  north  of  the  middle  of  the  eastern  bound- 
ary, the  route  runs  directly  through  the  midst  of  the  Territory,  pass- 
ing  by  the  town  of  Prescott,  the  capital,  thence  in  the  same  general 
direction,  down  th6  valley  of  Williams  river  to  its  mouth  in  latitude 
thirty-four  degrees  thirty  minutes.  To  this  point  the  Colorado  affords 
good  steamboat  navigation  at  nearly  all  seasons  from  the  head  of  the 
Gulf  of  California. 

Between  the  point  where  the  route  enters  the  Territory  to  the 
town  of  Prescott,  a distance  of  about  150  miles,  the  country  has  a 
considerable  elevation,  is  well  watered,  and  has  a healthy  and  delicious 


ARIZONA. 


71 


climate.  This  is  the  region  spoken  of  by  Hon.  Eichard  McCormick, 
Secretary  of  the  Territory,  in  the  following  extracts  from  a valuable 
paper  which  he  prepared  for  Hall’s  “ Guide  to  the  Great  West:” 
“Yavapai  county  embraces  a part  of  Arizona  as  yet  unknown  to 
map-makers,  and  in  which  the  Territorial  officers  arrived  hard  upon 
the  heels  of  the  first  white  inhabitants.  Until  1863,  saving  for  a short 
distance  above  the  Gila,  it  was,  even  to  the  daring  trapper  and  the 
adventurous  gold-seeker,  a terra  incognita , although  one  of  the  richest 
mineral,  agricultural,  grazing,  and  timber  divisions  of  the  Territory, 
and  abundantly  supplied  with  game.  Yavapai  county  is  nearly  as 
large  as  the  State  of  New  York.  The  Yerde  and  Salina  rivers,  tribu- 
taries of  the  Gila,  which  run  (southwardly)  through  its  centre,  abound 
in  evidences  of  a former  civilization.  Here  are  the  most  extensive  and 
impressive  ruins  to  be  found  in  the  Territory- — relics  of  cities,  aque- 
ducts, acquias , and  canals,  of  mining  and  farming  operations,  and  of 
other  employments  indicating  an  industrious  and  enterprising  people. 
Mr.  Bartlett  refers  to  these  ruins  as  traditionally  reported  to  him,  to 
show  the  extent  of  the  agricultural  population  formerly  supported 
here,  as  well  as  to  furnish  an  argument  to  sustain  the  opinion  that  this 
is  one  of  the  most  desirable  positions  for  an  agricultural  settlement  of 

any  between  the  Eio  Grande  and  the  Colorado.  

“ In  timber  lands  Yavapai  county  exceeds  all  others  in  the  Territory. 
Beginning  some  miles  south  of  Prescott,  and  running  north  of  the  San 
Francisco  Mountain,  is  a forest  of  yellow  pine  interspersed  with  oak, 
sufficient  to  supply  all  the  timber  for  building  material,  for  mining, 
and  for  fuel  that  can  be  required  for  a large  population. 

“Prescott,  the  capital,  is  in  the  heart  of  a mining  district  second, 
in  my  judgment,  to  none  upon  the  Pacific  coast.  The  surface  ores  of 
thirty  mines  of  gold  and  silver  and  copper,  which  I had  assayed  in 
San  Francisco,  were  pronounced  equal  to  any  surface  ores  ever  tested 
by  the  metallurgists,  who  are  among  the  most  skilful  and  experienced 
in  the  city;  and  so  far  as  ore  has  been  had  from  a depth,  it  fully  sus- 
tains its  reputation.  The  veins  are  large  and  boldly  defined,  and  the 
ores  are  of  varied  classes,  usually  such  as  to  be  readily  and  inexpen- 
sively worked,  while  the  facilities  for  working  them  are  of  a superior 
order.  At  the  ledges  is  an  abundant  supply  of  wood  and  water;  near 
at  hand  are  grazing  and  farming  lands,  and  roads  may  be  opened  in 
any  direction  without  great  cost.  The  altitude  is  so  great  that  the 
temperature  is  never  oppressively  warm;  the  nights,  even  in  mid- 
summer, are  refreshingly  cool  and  bracing.” 

Such  is  the  district  through  the  midst  of  which  the  Union  Pacific 
Eailway  will  run  for  two-thirds  of  its  way  across  the  Territory  of 


72 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


Arizona — the  very  kind  of  country  to  furnish  the  largest  amount  of 
local  trade  in  proportion  to  its  area  and  population,  as  well  as  to  add 
most  rapidly  to  the  general  wealth  of  the  nation.  Would  we  pay  off 
our  national  debt  and  return  to  a metallic  currency,  there  is  nothing 
that  we  can  do  to  bring  about  those  ends  so  effective  as  to  open  a 
highway  into  this  now  remote  and  almost  inaccessible  national 
treasury. 

From  Prescott  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  territory,  which  is 
the  Colorado  river,  the  line  of  the  road  will  probably  follow  the  valley 
of  the  Williams  river,  one  of  the  principal  tributaries  of  the  Colorado, 
which  has  its  source  a few  miles  west  of  that  town.  Of  this  river  Mr. 
McCormick  says  : 

“Ascending  the  Colorado,  the  first  point  of  interest  is  Williams’ 
Fork.  It  is  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Colorado,  and  has  its  rise  in 
the  interior  country  almost  as  far  east  as  Prescott.  It  is  not  naviga- 
ble, but  usually  has  a good  body  of  water.  Some  of  the  richest  copper 
mines  in  the  territory  are  on  its  banks,  and  have  already  been  exten- 
sively and  profitably  worked.” 

Several  silver  mines  are  marked  on  the  national  maps  in  the  valley 
of  this  river.  At  its  mouth  is  the  town  of  Aubry,  said  to  be  in  a fine 
location  for  a city.  This  is  likely  to  be  the  principal  city  of  Arizona. 
It  is  a very  important  point  on  the  line  of  this  road,  for  here  the  first 
navigable  water  on  the  Pacific  side  is  reached ; and  from  this  point  a 
large  trade,  both  down  and  up  the  river,  and  indeed  with  the  entire 
Pacific  coast,  may  be  established  in  advance  of  the  road  reaching  its 
ultimate  destination  — San  Francisco.  The  most  western  steamboat 
navigation  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  continent,  on  this  line,  is  at 
Kansas  City;  the  most  eastern  on  the  Pacific  side  is  at  Aubry.  But, 
even  after  the  road  shall  be  completed,  Aubry  will  continue  to  be  an 
important  commercial  centre,  and  pour  upon  this  road  from  that  great 
river  a large  amount  of  business ; for  the  entire  country  above  is  sur- 
passingly rich  in  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  especially  the  latter,  and  the 
river  is  navigable  for  hundreds  of  miles  during  part  of  the  year. 

It  is,  I am  informed,  the  opinion  of  some  of  our  army  officers  that 
at  Fort  Mohave,  about  half  a degree  north  of  Aubry,  is  a better  place 
for  a railroad  to  cross  that  river  into  California.  I,  however,  adhere 
to  the  line  here  indicated  until  careful  surveys  west  of  the  river  shall 
determine  the  question  between  these  two  points. 

I have  thus  traced  the  route  of  the  Union  Pacific  Bailway  through 
the  Territory  of  Arizona,  on  a line  which  the  company  believe  to  be 
the  most  practicable,  and  the  one  which  will  enable  them  to  render 
accessible  the  best  and  richest  portion  of  the  great  region  lying  be- 


CALIFORNIA. 


73 


% 

tween  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific  coast.  While  in  some  mea- 
sure they  run  round  the  tremendous  mountain  system  of  the  inte- 
rior of  the  continent,  they  bear  as  close  to  it  as  they  can.  They 
run  but  little  below  the  85th  parallel,  which  is  only  two  degrees 
south  of  the  southern  line  of  Kansas. 

CALIFORNIA. 

At  Aubry,  as  before  remarked,  the  line  of  the  road  enters  the  State 
of  California.  Thence  its  course  is  westward  until  it  turns  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  and  thence  northwest  all 
the  way  up  the  great  valley  of  Southern  California,  to  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco,  a distance  of  between  four  and  five  hundred  miles. 

This  is  known  to  be  one  of  the  finest  valleys  on  the  continent.  The 
Sierra  Nevada  bounds  it  on  the  northeast,  the  Coast  Bange  on  the 
southwest  — the  mountains,  the  valley,  and  the  coast  all  running  in 
parallel  lines.  The  average  width  of  this  valley  is  not  much  less  than 
one  hundred  miles ; and  although  it  has  not  yet  been  twenty  years  in 
the  possession  of  people  who  did  anything  to  develop  its  resources,  and 
although  it  is  cut  off  from  the  ocean  by  the  Coast  Bange  of  mountains, 
and  is  destitute  of  any  navigable  rivers,  except  for  a short  distance 
southeast  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  it  is  already  renowned  through- 
out the  world  for  its  extraordinary  productiveness  — its  wheat,  its 
grapes,  and  many  other  things.  Its  only  commercial  avenues  are 
wagon-roads ; yet  within  a year  bread  made  from  wheat  which  grew 
in  that  valley  has  been  on  our  tables  here  in  Pittsburgh. 

Of  Southern  California  as  a grape-producing  country,  Mr.  Hittel 
remarks : 

u California  vineyards  produce  ordinarily  twice  as  much  as  the  vine- 
yards of  any  other  grape  district,  if  general  report  be  true.  The 
grape  crop  never  fails  as  it  does  in  every  other  country.  Vineyards 
in  every  other  country  require  more  labor,  for  here  the  vine  is  not 
trained  to  a stake,  but  stands  alone.” 

Mr.  Hall  remarks : “ The  grape  region  extends  from  the  southern 
boundary  a distance  of  595  miles  north,  with  an  average  breadth  from 
east  to  west  of  about  100  miles.”  This  area  extends  a considerable 
distance  up  the  Sacramento  river,  which  flows  southward  through  the 
same  valley,  and  breaks  through  the  coast  range  almost  directly  east 
of  San  Francisco. 

The  large  county  of  Los  Angelos,  which  is  the  second  county  that 
our  road  reaches  after  entering  the  State,  is  the  principal  vine-grow- 
ing district  in  California.  In  1864  it  had  8,570,000  vines.  A Califor- 
nia paper  of  1865  mentions  a vine  growing  at  Oroville,  on  the  western 


74  # KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 

slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  which  was  planted  in  1859,  which  has 
grown  straight  and  almost  of  a uniform  size,  and  measured  thirteen 
inches  in  circumference  for  ten  feet  from  the  ground.  Its  yield  of 
fruit  that  year  was  estimated  at  eight  hundred  pounds. 

The  quicksilver  mines  of  California  extend  from  Mendocina  county, 
north  of  San  Francisco,  along  the  Coast  Eange,  all  the  way  to  the 
Colorado  river,  and  on  the  northeastern  slope ; consequently  this  road 
will  run  near  to  them  for  a distance  of  over  four  hundred  miles. 
This  is  an  interest  the  extent  and  importance  of  which  it  is  yet  im- 
possible to  estimate,  as  these  mines  have  been  but  imperfectly  devel- 
oped thus  far. 

Such  is  the  region  through  which  the  line  of  this  road  will  run  from 
Aubry,  on  the  Colorado,  to  San  Francisco.  When  this  great  valley 
shall  be  occupied  — as  it  soon  would  he  were  this  road  made  through 
it  — no  part  of  the  route,  not  even  Kansas,  would  furnish  more  local 
business  both  in  freight  and  passengers. 


LETTEE  XYIII. — Length  of  the  respective  Routes. — Latitude  and 
Longitude  of  the  principal  Points. 

Allegheny  City,  August  8,  1867. 

LENGTH  OF  THE  RESPECTIVE  ROUTES.. 

The  length  of  any  route  for  a railroad  from  the  Missouri  to  San 
Francisco  is  not  yet  known.  The  best  that  has  been  done  has  been 
to  make  proximate  estimates.  To  keep  down  the  gradients  of  a road 
through  an  extensive  mountain  region  to  what  is  required  on  a rail- 
road, necessarily  extends  the  length  greatly  beyond  that  of  ordinary 
wagon  roads  through  the  same  region.  Across  plains,  such  as  those 
which  stretch  between  the  Missouri  and  the  mountains,  on  both  the 
Kansas  and  the  Platte  routes,  the  difference  is  not  much  between  the 
wagon  road  and  the  railroad. 

The  enterprising  gentlemen  who  are  pushing  forward  the  Union 
Pacific  Eailroad  of  the  Platte  with  a rapidity  without  example,  pro- 
pose to  run  directly  across  the  mountain  region  which  begins  a little 
beyond  where  they  now  are  at  work,  and  ends  only  on  the  banks  of 
the  Sacramento,  while  those  who,  with  no  less  spirit  and  energy,  are 
urging  forward  the  Union  Pacific  Eailway  of  the  Kansas,  propose — 
and  I think  very  wisely — to  bear  a little  southward,  and  thus  avoid 
all  the  formidable  mountain  ranges.  It  is  certain  that  by  so  doing 
they  will  greatly  reduce  their  gradients.  They  will  avoid  the  tremen- 
dous snow-drifts  of  the  route  through  the  mountains,  and  find  a far 


LATITUDE  AND  LONGITUDE.  * 75 

better  and  more  productive  country  through  which  to  run.  Of  that 
I have  already  spoken. 

But  will  they  lengthen  their  route  from  the  Missouri  to  San  Fran- 
cisco by  running  round  this  labyrinth  of  mountains  by  a single  grand 
detour,  rather  than  by  winding  round  them  in  detail,  as  they  would 
have  been  compelled  to  do,  had  they  adopted  the  other  alternative? 
JSTo  man  can  answer  that  question  yet.  But  if  they  have  made  it 
longer,  they  have  also  made  it  leveler,  safer,  and  certainly  more  profit- 
able. I know  that  the  impression  generally  prevails,  that  this  southern 
route  through  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  will  be  longer  than  if  it  had 
been  run  through  Utah  and  Nevada.  But,  after  all,  that  impression 
may  be  erroneous.  With  much  care  I have  prepared  the  following 
table  of  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  points  on  the  two  routes — that 
of  the  Kansas  road,  and  that  of  the  Platte.  The  points  on  the  Union 
Pacific  Bailway  of  the  Kansas  are  printed  in  Boman  characters; 
those  of  the  Union  Pacific  Bailroad  of  the  Platte  in  Italics. 

Latitude  and  Longitude  of  the  Principal  Points  on  Both  Routes. 

North  of  South  of 


Latitude. 

Longitude. 

San  Franc. 

San  Franc. 

Kansas  City, 

39° 

94°  35' 

1°  15' 

— 

Omaha , ....... 

41°  20' 

95°  55' 

3°  35' 

Pond  Creek, 

38°  50' 

101°  50' 

1°  5' 

Platte  Station,  North  Platte, 

41°  15' 

101° 

3°  30' 

Albuquerque  (Rio  Grande), 

35°  5' 

106°  30' 

2°  40' 

Bridgets  Pass  ( Summit  of  Rocky  Mountains), 

41°  35' 

107° 

3°  50' 

Prescott  (Centre  of  Arizona), 

34°  35' 

112°  5' 

3°  10' 

Northern  End  of  Salt  Lake, 

41°  45' 

113° 

4° 

Aubry  (Colorado  River),  .... 

34°  20' 

114° 10' 

— 

3°  25' 

Northern  Bend  of  Humboldt  River, 

41°  5' 

117°  40' 

3°  20' 

San  Francisco, 

37°  45' 

122°  30' 

It  will  be  observed  from  this  that  the  Platte  road  really  bears  more 
to  the  north  of  the  parallel  of  San  Francisco  than  the  Kansas  road 
does  to  the  south  of  it.  And  it  will  also  be  observed  that  the  point 
at  which  the  Platte  route  attains  the  summit  of  the  Bocky  Mountains 
is  twenty-five  geographical  miles  further  north  of  San  Francisco  than 
Aubry,  the  extreme  southern  deflection  of  the  Kansas  route,  is  south 
of  it.  Again,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  north  bend  of  the  Humboldt 
river  is  more  than  three  degrees  nearer  to  the  meridian  of  San  Fran- 
cisco than  Aubry,  while  it  is  almost  as  far  north  as  Aubry  is  south. 
A careful  study  of  this  table  will  shake  the  opinion  that  the  southern 
line  must  necessarily  be  longer  than  the  northern,  even  should  the 
latter  not  be  more  tortuous.  I do  not  assert  that  it  is  not  longer, 


76 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


because  I do  not  know  • but  I have  laid  before  the  reader  data  from 
which,  with  the  aid  of  a good  map,  he  can  make  calculations  for  him- 
self. 

The  Platte  road  will  be  completed  if  it  is  in  human  power  to  do  it, 
for  the  legislation  is  complete  and  the  appropriations  are  made ; but 
even  should  the  difficulties  be  such  that  it  can  never  be  a Pacific  road, 
yet  as  an  avenue  to  the  vast  interior  region  into  which  it  runs  — Ne- 
braska, Southern  Dakota,  Southern  Idaho,  and  Utah  — it  will  be  of 
incalculable  value  — worth  far  more  than  it  has  cost.  Over  the  other 
road,  however,  no  such  contingencies  are  pending.  There  are  neither 
impracticable  mountain  passes  nor  uncontrollable  snow-drifts.  There 
are  no  formidable  obstacles,  either  topographical  or  climatic;  and  the 
entire  country  through  which  it  passes  is  good.  It  will  open  up  a 
country  which,  when  its  manifold  resources  shall  be  developed  — as 
they  soon  will  be  when  made  accessible  — will  add  to  the  national 
wealth  immeasurably  beyond  what  it  will  cost.  In  fact  it  will  cost 
the  G-overnment  nothing,  for  it  will  be  self-sustaining.  It  is  that 
already,  and  its  revenues  will  unquestionably  increase  in  a ratio 
greater  than  its  onward  progress. 


LETTER  XIX. — Eastern  Connections — Table  of  Distances. 

Allegheny  City,  August  5,  1867. 

As  already  stated,  the  main  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  E.  D., 
begins  at  Kansas  City,  which  brings  it  in  line  and  connection  with 
the  old  Pacific  Railroad  of  Missouri,  which  begins  at  St.  Louis  and 
terminates  at  Kansas  City,  the  western  boundary  of  the  State  of 
Missouri.  So  it  might  with  truth  be  said  that  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
way of  the  Kansas  begins  at  St.  Louis.  By  a branch  road  from  Law- 
rence to  Leavenworth,  a little  more  than  thirty  miles  long,  belonging 
to  the  same  company,  the  Kansas  road  has  a second  terminus  on  the 
Missouri,  over  which  the  enterprising  people  of  Leavenworth  hope  to 
turn  the  trade  of  all  the  roads  east  of  the  Mississippi  which  do  not 
Converge  upon  St.  Louis. 

But  with  the  rivalry  between  Leavenworth  and  Kansas  City  we 
have  nothing  to  dcT.  For  the  present  we  shall  take  Kansas  City  as 
our  initial  point. 

We  have  already  seen  how  St.  Louis  is  connected  with  Kansas  City 
by  the  old  Missouri  Pacific,  283  miles  in  length.  In  a few  months 
Chicago  will  have  almost  as  direct  a connection  with  it,  by  way  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington,  and  Quincy  road  to  Quincy,  265  miles; 
thence  to  Cameron,  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  road,  170  miles; 


TABLE  OF  DISTANCES. 


77 


thence  by  the  Cameron  and  Kansas  City  branch,  on  which  they  are 
now  vigorously  at  work,  55  miles.  Total  from  Chicago  to  Kansas 
City,  490  miles. 

From  Kansas  City  to  the  Mississippi  river  at  St.  Louis,  283  miles 

From  Kansas  City  to  the  Mississippi  river  at  Quincy,  225  miles 

Difference  in  favor  of  Quincy, . 58  miles 

At  Quincy  a bridge  across  the  Mississippi  is  in  progress,  which  will 
enable  cars  to  run  through  from  Chicago,  or  from  Mew  York  and 
Boston  for  that  matter,  to  the  farthest  extremity  of  the  Union  Pacific 
of  the  Kansas,  for  the  gauge  throughout  the  entire  distance,  whether 
through  Pennsylvania  or  Mew  York,  except  the  Mew  York  and  Erie 
and  the  Great  Western,  is  the  same.  In  a short  time  a bridge  across 
the  Missouri  at  Kansas  City  will  be  built.*  So  far,  therefore,  the  City 
of  Chicago  has  the  advantage  over  St.  Louis  for  the  trade  of  the 
magnificent  region  through  which  the  Kansas  road  runs,  and  that 
advantage  it  will  retain  until  a bridge  shall  be  constructed  over  the 
Mississippi  at  St  Louis. 


Distances  from  Kansas  City  to  Mew  York  through 
Pennsylvania. 

Via  St.  Louis,  Indianapolis,  Columbus,  Steubenville,  Pittsburgh,  and  Allentown. 


Miles. 

Kansas  City  to  St.  Louis, 283 

St.  Louis  to  Indianapolis,  ........  262 

Indianapolis  to  Columbus, • 188 

Columbus  to  Pittsburgh,  ........  193 

Pittsburgh  to  Mew  York,  via  Allentown, 431 

1357 

Via  Cameron,  Quincy,  Chicago,  Pittsburgh,  and  Allentown. 

Kansas  City  to  Cameron,  ..  . 55 

Cameron  to  Quincy,  .......  .170 

Quincy  to  Chicago, • . . . 265 

Chicago  to  Pittsburgh,  ........  468 

Pittsburgh  to  Mew  York,  as  above, 431 

1389 


* A correspondent  of  the  Philadelphia  Press,  writing  from  Kansas  City,  August  21, 
1867,  states  that  the  corner-stone  of  the  Cameron  Railroad  bridge  across  the  Missouri 
at  that  city  was  laid  that  afternoon  amid  great  enthusiasm,  and  in  the  presence  of 
5000  people.  He  says:  “Assurance  is  given  by  Mr.  Chanuette,  the  chief  engineer, 
that  the  structure  will  be  completed  in  one  year.  The  bridge  will  be  of  iron,  1400 
feet  long,  with  a draw  in  the  channel  of  362  feet.  There  will  be  six  stone  piers,  with 
spans  of  250  feet,  and  a carriage-way  as  well  as  a railroad  track.  This  bridge,  with 
the  one  now  building  across  the  Mississippi  at  Quincy,  will  give  us  a through  con- 
nection, without  breaking  bulk,  with  New  York  and  Boston.” 


78 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


Via  Cameron , ( Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  R.  R.  to  Quincy ,)  Toledo,  Wabash,  and  Western 
R.  R.,  Fort  Wayne  and  Pittsburgh  R.  R.,  and  Penna.  R.  R.,  via  Allentown  to  New 


York.  Miles. 

Kansas  City  to  Cameron, 55 

Cameron  to  Quincy, 170 

Quincy  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  .......  114 

Springfield  to  Fort  Wayne, 268 

Fort  Wayne  to  Pittsburgh,  320 

Pittsburgh  to  New  York,  as  before, 431 


1358 


From  Kansas  City  to  Philadelphia  the  foregoing  distances  are 
respectively  76  miles  less,  to  wit,  1282,  1313,  and  1283. 

Distances  from  Kansas  City  to  New  York,  through  the  State 


of  New  York. 

Kansas  City  to  Chicago,  via  Quincy  as  above,  ....  490 
Chicago  to  Buffalo,  via  Southern  Michigan,  &c.,  . . . 538 

Buffalo  to  Albany  (N.  Y.  Central),  298 

Albany  to  New  York  (Hudson  Elver  E.  E.),  ....  144 

1470 

Via  Dunkirk  and  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad. 

Kansas  City  to  Chicago,  ........  490 

Chicago  to  Dunkirk  (S.  Mich.  Lake  Shore,  &c.),  . . . 498 

Dunkirk  to  New  York,  ........  460 

1448 


It  will  be  seen  from  this  at  a glance  that  the  Union  Pacific  Eailway 
of  the  Kansas  accommodates  quite  as  well  the  trade  and  travel  of  the 
basin  of  the  Great  Lakes  as  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  — that  no  loca- 
tion on  the  farther  bank  of  the  Missouri  could  have  been  more  fortu- 
nately chosen  as  the  starting-point  for  a great  road  across  the  conti- 
nent than  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river.  All  the  great  lines  east  of 
the  Mississippi  can  reach  it  with  equal  facility  and  at  very  nearly 
equal  distances.  By  two  of  them  — one  crossing  the  Mississippi  at 
St.  Louis,  the  other  at  Quincy  — the  difference  in  distance  between 
Kansas  City  and  New  York  is  but  one  mile;  and  the  difference  be- 
tween the  routes  through  St.  Louis  and  Chicago,  from  one  of  those  far 
distant  points  to  the  other,  is  only  thirty -two  miles. 


LETTEE  XX. — Branch  Boads — To  Galveston  from  three  Points  in 
Kansas  — To  Denver  — Down  the  Rio  Grande  into  Mexico  — To 
Guaymas — To  San  Diego — Effect  upon  Mexico — General  Remarks. 

Allegheny  City,  August  6,  1867. 

A careful  examination  of  a good  map  of  North  America  will  con- 
vince any  one  who  will  make  it  that  so  sure  as  the  Union  Pacific 


BRANCH  ROADS. 


79 


Kailway  of  the  Kansas  — or,  as  it  might  be  more  briefly  and  definitely 
designated,  The  Kansas  Pacific  Pailway  — shall  be  completed  to  its 
ultimate  destination,  numerous  important  branch  roads  will  almost 
simultaneously  be  made  through  many  parts  of  the  extensive  and 
magnificent  region  which  stretches  all  along  the  southern  and  south- 
eastern side  of  the  main  line.  Three  of  these  branches  will  reach  tide 
water, — one  at  Galveston,  Texas,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico ; one  at  Guay- 
mas,  in  Sonora,  on  the  Gulf  of  California ; and  one  at  San  Diego,  on 
the  main  coast  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  nearly  five  hundred  miles  south- 
east of  San  Francisco. 

I appeal  to  the  map  again  to  show  how  admirably  this  main  line  is 
calculated  to  put  all  of  the  Eastern,  Middle,  and  Northwestern  States 
of  the  Union,  east  of  the  Missouri,  into  social  and  commercial  connec- 
tion with  all  that  rich  and  productive  portion  of  this  continent,  along 
the  northern  border  of  which  it  runs.  The  trade  of  a million  of  square 
miles  can  be  drawn  into  it  without  going  much  beyond  our  own  bor- 
ders. But  when  to  this  is  added  the  fact  that  it  will  reach  the  Pacific 
ocean  at  three  several,  far  separated  and  important  points  — Guaymas, 
San  Diego,  and  San  Francisco  — it  requires  no  further  argument  to 
prove  that  it  will  be  the  greatest  thoroughfare  in  the  world. 

This  is  a road  that  will  develop  the  country  through  which  it  and 
its  branches  will  pass  and  create  its  own  business.  We  excursionists 
saw  how  it  was  doing  that  already  in  Kansas ; and  a few  days  ago, 
while  in  Philadelphia,  I saw  how  the  officers  of  the  Company  there 
were  hurrying  forward  hundreds  of  cars  and  a corresponding  number 
of  locomotives,  to  keep  pace  with  the  rapidly  increasing  trade. 

I propose  now  to  notice  briefly  some  of  these  branches,  either 
actually  commenced  or  in  contemplation. 

The  first  is  that  whereof  the  main  line  commences  at  Lawrence  and 
runs  almost  directly  south  through  Kansas,  through  the  Indian  Territory 
and  through  Texas,  until  it  meets  the  Central  Texas  road,  which  runs 
almost  due  north  from  Galveston.  The  entire  distance  from  Lawrence 
to  Galveston  is  about  six  hundred  miles,  and  the  route  is  through  a 
country  of  unsurpassed  fertility  and  beauty  from  one  end  to  the  other. 
When  I was  at  Lawrence  in  June,  they  were  vigorously  at  work  on 
this  road,  and  expected  to  have  twenty-four  miles  of  it  finished  and  in 
operation  by  January,  1868.  The  people  of  Kansas  City  are  to  have 
a branch  of  this  road  from  their  town,  which  will  probably  unite  with 
the  Lawrence  branch  in  the  valley  of  the  Neosho,  near  the  southern 
border  of  the  State.  This  branch,  which  also  runs  through  a splendid 
country,  will  almost  certainly  be  completed  at  an  early  day.  Another 
branch  of  this  road  is  projected  from  Junction  City  southward  to  the 


80 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


head  of  the  Neosho  valley  — which  is  only  about  18  miles  distant  — and 
thence  down  that  richest  of  the  Kansas  valleys  until  it  meets  the  main 
line  from  Lawrence  near  the  southern  border  of  the  State.  This,  too, 
will  unquestionably  be  made  sooner  or  later.* 

From  Pond  Creek  a branch  of  the  main  line  will  be  made  to  Denver, 
187  miles  in  a northeasterly  direction,  partly  through  a buffalo-grass 
region,  and  one  which  presents  no  difficulties.  This  branch  will  run 
near  to  the  northeast  base  of  Pike’s  Peak,  and  for  a considerable  dis- 
tance through  a region  of  good  coal  and  pine  timber,  both  of  which 
will  be  of  great  value  to  all  that  country. 

Between  Pond  Creek  and  Albuquerque  branch  roads  into  the  mag- 
nificent agricultural  and  pastoral  regions  which  stretch  far  away  east 
and  south  of  the  main  route,  will  doubtless  be  made.  But  of  these  I 
cannot  speak  definitely. 

From  Albuquerque  a branch  road  down  the  Eio  Grande  to  El  Paso 
will  quickly  follow  the  construction  of  the  main  line,  as  it  would  trav- 
erse a very  rich  and  productive  country  on  our  side  of  the  national 
line,  and  open  a direct  avenue  into  the  Mexican  State  of  Chihuahua. 
It  is  a fine  country,  rich  in  both  soil  and  minerals ; and,  if  wrested 
from  the  hands  of  the  fierce  Apaches,  who  now  hold  possession  of  a 
large  portion  of  it,  would  soon  fill  up  with  a far  better  population  than 
have  ever  yet  occupied  it. 

From  some  point  in  Arizona  a branch  road  from  the  main  line  to 
Guay  mas,  through  the  rich  mineral  State  of  Sonora,  will  unquestion- 
ably be  made  at  an  early  day.  A connection  with  the  Pacific  ocean 
at  that  point  would  be  only  second  in  importance  to  that  made  at 
San  Francisco.  It  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge  upon  it. 

A shorter  branch  road  would  put  this  road  in  connection  with 
Libertad,  another  port  near  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  a 
still  shorter  one  with  the  head  of  the  gulf  at  the  mouth  of  the  Colo- 
rado river. 

The  last  important  branch  is  that  which  will  run  from  some  point 
on  the  main  line  west  of  Aubry  to  San  Diego,  on  the  main  Pacific 
coast,  but  a short  distance  north  of  the  southern  extremity  of  Califor- 
nia. It  has  an  excellent  harbor,  and  with  such  a connection  with  the 
Eastern  States  of  the  Union,  there  is  hardly  a doubt  but  that  it  would 
soon  become  an  important  commercial  city.  Being  so  much  nearer 
to  the  great  communities  in  and  east  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  it  would 

* A letter  from  Kansas  City,  of  August  21,  says:  “Arrangements  relative  to  work 
on  the  Kansas  City  and  Fort  Scott  road  have  been  brought  to  a final  settlement,  in- 
suring the  early  completion  of  that  road.”  This  is  the  same  enterprise  of  which  I 
have  just  spoken. 


BRANCH  ROADS. 


81 


have  many  advantages  over  its  more  northern  rival.  San  Diego  is  a 
little  more  than  five  degrees  east  of  San  Francisco. 

If  ever  Mexico  is  to  be  redeemed  from  anarchy  and  misrule,  it  must 
be  effected  through  some  such  agency  as  this.  The  conviction  is 
fastening  itself  upon  the  public  mind  that,  at  an  early  day,  we  shall 
be  compelled  to  exercise  a controlling  influence  in  that  country;  and 
were  our  people  made  to  comprehend  how  quickly  and  easily  that 
could  be  done  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  road,  by  its  exten- 
sion into  Mexican  territory  as  proposed,  it  would  give  great  satisfac- 
tion, especially  when  they  reflect  that  no  violence  will  be  required, — 
nothing  which  can  either  humble  Mexico  or  excite  the  jealousy  of 
other  nations, — that  the  object  of  their  desires  can  be  accomplished 
in  the  pursuit  of  legitimate  and  mutually  beneficial  commerce,  free 
from  interruption  by  foreign  powers,  and  exempt  from  all  rivalry  ex- 
cept that  which  would  arise  among  our  citizens.  For  our  manufac- 
tures, we  should  be  paid  in  wool,  hides,  animals  and  minerals,  and 
after  a little  time,  when  labor  becomes  more  settled  and  secure,  we 
should  receive  the  more  valuable  products  of  a tropical  growth,  and 
have  the  satisfaction  of  impressing  upon  these  people  our  principles 
of  justice,  our  system  of  government,  and  an  enlightened  Christian 
civilization. 

Avoiding  the  malarious  belt  which  stretches  along  the  entire  east- 
ern seaboard  of  Mexico,  we  can  reach  the  great  interior  basin  and  the 
western  coast  by  a route  eminently  healthy  and  salubrious.  In  this 
way  we  may  expect  the  bulk  of  the  commerce  of  that  great  basin  to 
be  carried  on  through  the  United  States,  and  over  the  system  of  roads 
of  which  this  will  be  the  forerunner  and  main  trunk.  Many  trains, 
conveying  passengers  and  merchandise,  not  more  than  five  or  six  days 
from  St.  Louis  or  Chicago,  will  daily  cross  the  line  of  Mexico  en  route 
for  all  parts  of  the  interior  and  the  western  coast,  and  south  to  the 
regions  of  the  tropics,  where  cotton,  sugar,  coffee,  and  all  the  tropical 
fruits  are,  or  may  be,  with  our  energy,  produced  in  abundance. 
Those  regions  may  be  reached  as  easily  as  San  Francisco,  and  a trade 
may,  and  certainly  will,  be  established  equally  valuable,  to  be  enjoyed 
by  this  road  without  a successful  competitor.  It  would  be  a great 
error,  if,  in  the  projection  of  our  continental  railroad  system,  we 
should  neglect  to  construct  the  main  line  in  the  direction  so  plainly 
marked  out  by  nature  by  which  this  trade  may  be  commanded. 

I have  thus,  with  the  best  lights  I could  obtain,  traced  the  entire 
line  of  this  magnificent  national  road,  this  world’s  highway,  from  the 
Missouri  to  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  My  aim  has  been  to  deal  with 
6 


82 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


facts  which  have  a practical  bearing  upon  the  questions  of  the  feasi- 
bility and  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  and  which  will  enable  the 
Citizen,  the  Patriot,  the  Statesman,  and  the  Christian,  to  calculate  the 
results  which  are  likely  to  follow  its  completion.  It  has  been  my 
desire  to  give  to  the  political  economist  data  by  which  to  settle  the 
question  of  profit  and  loss  — the  probable  revenues  of  such  a road 
through  such  a country,  and  having  such  termini.  We  know  that  the 
ardent  Patriot  will  say,  “Make  it;  for  it  will  be  the  glory  of  our 
country.”  The  Philanthropist  will  say,  “Make  it;  for  it  will  confer 
blessings  and  benefits  upon  the  whole  human  race.”  The  Christian 
will  say,  “Make  it;  for  it  is  essential  to  the  progress  of  Christian 
civilization  westward,  the  only  direction  in  which  it  has  ever  success- 
fully travelled ; — make  it ; for  it  will  be  a highway  for  our  Cod.”  But 
the  Practical  Man  says,  “ Make  it,  if  it  will  pay  and  we  know  very 
well  that  all  the  generous  impulses  must  stand  in  abeyance  until  this 
last  practical  calculation  shall  be  satisfactorily  settled. 


LETTER  XXI.  — Will  it  Pay  ? 

This,  after  all,  is  the  practical  question  — the  only  one,  indeed, 
which  the  rigid  economist  or  the  capitalist  cares  to  ask.  To  say  that, 
because  the  enterprise  is  one  of  unexampled  vastness,  magnificence 
and  grandeur,  therefore  it  will  be  profitable,  would  be  to  offer  logic 
which  no  cool  calculator  would  think  of  accepting.  To  say  that, 
because  it  links  two  vast  oceans  together,  and  with  them  two  hemi- 
spheres, therefore  it  must  surely  pay,  would  be  to  offer  an  argument 
equally  loose,  inconclusive  and  unsatisfactory.  Were  we  to  prove  that 
two-thirds  of  all  the  tonnage  that  Western  Europe  and  Eastern  Asia 
exchange  would  pass  over  this  road,  we  should  still  be  far  from  demon- 
strating that  the  enterprise  would  be  pecuniarily  profitable.  Great  as 
would  be  the  revenue  arising  from  this  enormous  foreign  traffic,  it 
would  fall  far  short  of  what  would  be  necessary  to  meet  the  operating 
expenses  and  the  interest  on  the  cost  of  a road  of  such  length.  Like 
all  other  roads,  the  Union  Pacific  must  be  mainly  dependent  upon  its 
local  trade  and  travel  for  its  revenue.  Its  foreign  business  will  be 
very  large ; but,  to  be  financially  successful,  its  local  and  home  business 
must  be  still  larger. 

I have  traced  the  course  of  this  road  from  the  Missouri  to  the  Bay 
of  San  Francisco,  and  set  forth  in  terms  of  calm  and  sober  verity,  as 
I believe,  the  character  and  resources  of  the  country  through  which  it 
will  run,  and  respectfully  challenge  any  man  who  still  doubts,  to  point 


WILL  IT  PAY  ? 


83 


out  a single  section  of  one  hundred  miles  that  is  not  likely  to  contribute 
its  share  of  a revenue  sufficient  to  make  this  a paying  road.  One 
portion  will  have  a large  surplus  of  the  products  of  the  soil;  another 
portion,  the  people  of  which  draw  their  wealth,  not  from  the  soil,  hut 
from  the  mines,  will  need  this  surplus.  Ores  will  be  sent  to  fuel  and 
fuel  to  ores.  Thus  there  will  be  a large  and  perpetual  exchange 
between  the  agricultural  and  the  mineral  portions  of  the  route  — be- 
tween the  fertile  prairies  of  the  East,  the  coal  mines  and  forests  of 
the  first  mountain  slope,  and  the  gold  and  silver  and  copper  mines  of 
Mew  Mexico,  Arizona  and  California.  There  is  probably  no  single 
line  of  railroad  on  the  globe  the  products  along  the  border  of  which 
are  at  once  so  various  and  so  dissimilar.  This  peculiarity  of  the  line 
of  road  under  consideration  will  lead  to  an  exchange  of  commodities 
to  an  enormous  amount,  between  communities  hundreds  of  miles 
asunder.  The  farmer  of  Kansas  will  probably  find  his  best  market  in 
Arizona. 

But  we  are  not  left  to  conjecture  and  vague  generalities  as  the 
basis  of  our  estimates.  During  the  month  of  May,  1867,  this  road 
was  commercially  open  to  Salina,  a distance  of  187  miles  from  Kansas 
City.  The  gross  earnings  for  that  month  were  $172,106.28,  which 
amount,  divided  by  187,  gives  a business  at  the  rate  of  eleven  thousand 
dollars  per  mile  per  annum.  During  the  same  period  the  net  profits 
were  $72,000,  or  at  the  rate  of  $4,567  per  mile  per  annum.  The 
amount  of  business  done  for  the  Government  during  that  month  — * at 
rates  greatly  below  what  had  hitherto  been  paid  for  freights  by  wagon 
— was  a little  over  fifty-one  thousand  dollars,  one  half  of  which  passed 
to  the  credit  of  the  Company  on  its  Government  bonds,  enough  to  pay 
the  interest  on  all  the  bonds  of  the  Company,  and  leave  a surplus  suf- 
ficient to  extinguish  the  principal  ten  years  before  the  bonds  mature. 
The  remainder  of  the  month’s  business,  amounting  to  more  than 
$120,000,  was  principally  local  trade  and  travel  — so  rapidly  is  the 
rich  valley  of  the  Kansas,  through  which  it  passes,  filling  up  with  an 
active  and  prosperous  population.*  If  such  results  can  be  shown  in 
the  infancy  of  the  enterprise,  surely  we  may  safely  calculate  upon 
still  richer  results  as  the  work  progresses,  and  as  the  great  wave  of 
population  which  is  following  it  shall  swell  to  larger  and  larger  pro- 
portions. 


* The  return  for  the  month  of  June,  owing  to  the  flood,  fell  off  some  25  or  30  per 
cent. ; but  that  for  July  was  larger  than  that  for  May,  the  western  commercial  ter- 
minus being  the  same.  Now  the  end  of  the  commercial  line  has  been  extended  to 
Wilson’s  Creek,  nearly  250  miles  beyond  Kansas  City. 


84 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


LETTER  XXII.  — The  March  of  Empire. 

When  Bishop  Berkeley  penned  the  oft-quoted  line  — 

“ Westward  the  Star  of  Empire  takes  its  way,” — 
the  idea  expressed  by  the  phrase  was  hardly  understood.  “What  is 
empire ?”  asks  a recent  writer,  and  then  he  goes  on  to  remark:  “ We 
have  suffered  our  understandings  to  be  warped  by  past. and  existing 
abuses  on  this  point,  until  the  word  suggests  to  the  mind  the  over- 
grown dominions  of  the  Caesars,  or  the  huge  and  beastly  realm  of  the 
Czar.  But  God  himself  gave  us  the  true  idea  of  empire  when  he 
said,  1 Be  fruitful,  and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth,  and  subdue 
it.’  This  is  what  Bishop  Berkeley  means  by  the  £ Star  of  Empire;’ 
and  this  is  what  the  people  of  our  country  are  now  doing.  This  is 
Empire  in  its  true  sense  — the  dominion  of  Man  over  Mature,  not  of 
man  over  man.” 

For  ages  warriors  have  striven  to  hew  out  empire  with  the  sword, 
and  kings  have  labored  and  crushed  their  people  to  the  dust,  in  build- 
ing huge  piles,  in  the  vain  hope  of  rendering  those  empires  immortal. 
Human  toil  beyond  calculation  has  been  expended  in  erecting  things 
which,  when  erected,  were  of  less  value  than  the  ground  upon  which 
they  stood,  and  oceans  of  blood  have  been  spilt  in  subduing  regions 
which  a little  well-directed  and  beneficent  enterprise  would  have  sub- 
dued a thousand-fold  better.  This  day  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  stand 
in  their  hugeness,  immobility  and  silence,  the  emblems  of  a false,  dead, 
unprofitable  and  non-progressive  civilization  ; while  the  railroad,  with 
its  rushing  train,  following  the  sun  in  his  western  course,  marks  and 
represents  a civilization  of  the  opposite  type. 

Actuated  by  old  and  false  ideas,  the  Emperor  of  France  tried  to 
push  empire  westward  by  sending  his  armies  into  Mexico ; and  we 
have  just  witnessed  the  tragical  end  of  that  attempt  to  rule  the  world 
of  the  present  day  by  the  enforcement  of  obsolete  ideas.  Mow  let 
John  D.  Perry,  of  St.  Louis,  a modest  American  citizen,  send  his 
army  of  peaceful  laborers  and  track-layers  across  the  border  of  that 
unhappy  country,  and  order,  peace,  and  true  empire  will  result  at  once. 

The  railroad  is  the  great  agent  and  pioneer  of  civilization.  Let 
any  one  go  away  beyond  the  Missouri,  as  we  did,  and  behold  a mighty 
tide  of  civilization  — comfortable  and  well-furnished  dwellings  occu- 
pied by  intelligent,  refined  and  happy  people,  all  the  useful  industries 
of  life,  with  schools,  colleges,  churches,  and  every  institution  of  an 
advanced  social  condition  — following  closely  behind  the  track-layers, 
and,  in  some  instances,  going  ahead  of  them,  causing  the  music  of 
busy  life  to  be  heard  on  those  beautiful  prairies,  where  only  yester- 
day silence  and  solitude  reigned,  save  only  as  they  were  broken  by 


THE  MARCH  OF  EMPIRE. 


85 


the  cry  of  the  savage  or  the  wolf,  or  the  impetuous  rush  of  herds  of 
buffaloes,  and  he  will  have  some  conception  of  what  is  now  meant  by 
the  March  of  Empire. 

We  have  traced  the  line  of  this  great  continental  thoroughfare  from 
the  Missouri  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific, — or,  to  use  the  grand  language 
of  the  Bible,  which,  in  this  connection,  has  a distinctness  and  signifi- 
cance which  .are  absolutely  startling  — 11  from  the  river  to  the  ends 
of  the  earths  We  have  reached  that  ocean  on  the  one  shore  of  which 
the  most  ancient  of  earth’s  populations  are  found,  while  the  most 
recent  are  found  on  the  other, — that  point  on  the  earth’s  surface 
where  days  end  and  new  days  begin.  We  have  seen  its  effects  as  far 
as  it  has  gone ; and,  from  the  strong  attractions  of  the  remainder  of 
the  way,  we  may  confidently  expect  that  its  progress  entirely  across 
the  continent  will  be  followed  by  similar  results  — that  a strong  tide 
of  population  will  instantly  follow  it,  carrying  with  it  all  the  forces 
and  blessings  of  a high  civilization. 

But  its  effects  will  not  be  confined  to  Kansas,  Colorado,  New  Mexico, 
Arizona  and  California.  A new  and  better  life  will  flow  through  this 
channel  into  Mexico;  and,  without  violence  to  either  the  persons  or 
the  institutions  of  that  distracted  country,  it  will  be  subdued,  and 
added,  if  not  politically,  at  least  socially  and  commercially,  to  our  own 
empire.  Nothing  can  prevent  it;  for  the  Northern  States  of  that 
country,  especially  Chihuahua  and  Sonora,  with  their  rich  pastures, 
their  fertile  valleys,  and  their  numerous  mines  of  the  precious  metals, 
lie  near  to  the  line,  and  will  be  connected  by  branches  wherever  they 
can  be  made  available.  A branch  road  will  probably  reach  Guaymas 
before  the  main  line  can  possibly  be  carried  to  San  Francisco.  This 
will  give  us  the  first  and  nearest  Pacific  port.  But  of  this  I have 
already  spoken. 

My  desire,  however,  in  this  closing  letter,  is  rather  to  speak  of  this 
road  as  a channel  of  Christian  civilization  than  as  an  avenue  of  com- 
merce. The  course  of  this  civilization,  ever  since  the  veil  of  the  Jew- 
ish temple  was  rent  in  twain,  and  Jew  and  Gentile  mingled  together 
under  one  common  banner  in  the  service  of  one  Lord  and  Master,  has 
been  westward.  It  is  westward  still,  and  westward,  like  the  sun  in 
his  course,  it  is  destined  to  continue,  until  it  shall  have  completed  the 
circuit  of  the  globe.  When  contemplated  from  this  point  of  view,  the 
enterprise  of  which  we  speak  assumes  an  importance  and  grandeur 
beyond  what  the  mind  is  able  fully  to  grasp.  The  thought  that  we 
are  opening  a channel  through  which  new  light,  new  life,  a better 
civilization,  and  the  Gospel  of  Peace,  shall  flow  to  hundreds  of  millions 
of  human  beings,  ought  to  inspire  every  heart  and  nerve  every  arm 
in  aid  of  the  great  work. 


86 


KANSAS  AND  THE  COUNTRY  BEYOND. 


The  remark  was  made  by  one  of'  our  excursionists,  that  eight  hun- 
dred millions  of  our  race  were  interested  in  this  enterprise ; and  a 
little  calm  discussion  satisfied  those  who  heard  it  that  the  assertion 
was  not  extravagant.  Its  effect  will  be  quietly  but  surely  to  revolu- 
tionize China  and  Japan ; Russia,  at  the  remotest  and  most  torpid 
extremity  of  her  vast  domain,  will  receive  a new  and  better  life ; it 
will  restore  Mexico  to  order  and  civilization  ; it  will  greatly  affect  all 
Western  Europe;  and  certainly  our  own  people  are  deeply  interested  in 
it.  In  fact,  the  entire  northern  hemisphere,  from  the  equator  to  the 
frozen  zone,  will  feel  the  effect  of  this  new  avenue  of  commerce,  this 
new  highway  over  which  Empire  is  to  march. 

“ Subdue  it,”  said  the  Almighty,  when  he  placed  man  upon  the  earth. 
Subdue'what?  The  earth,  certainly;  but  instead  of  doing  so  to  any 
effective  extent,  men  turned  their  hands  against  their  fellows,  and  put 
forth  their  mightiest  energies  to  subdue  each  other.  The  feeble  powers 
of  isolated  individuals  were  engaged  in  the  one  work;  the  combined 
energies  of  tribes  and  nations  and  empires  were  enlisted  in  the  other; 
and  the  miserable  record  of  the  latter  makes  up  the  staple  of  nearly 
all  ancient  and  much  of  modern  history.  Mow,  thank  God,  we  have 
found  a more  excellent  way.  Mow  our  nation  sends  forth  armies,  not 
to  butcher  their  fellow-men,  but  to  subdue  the  earth  — to  remove  ob- 
structions which  lie  in  the  way  of  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man  — 
to  clear  away  the  barriers  that  obstruct  our  progress  — to  prepare 
highways  over  which  the  Prince  of  Peace  may  go  in  his  own  appointed 
way  to  bless  the  nations.  And  there  is  something  impressive  in  the 
fact  that  this  greatest  of  all  national  efforts  is  put  forth  just  as  the 
most  formidable  barriers  to  human  progress  to  be  found  on  the  globe 
— the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  systems  of  mountains  beyond  — were 
reached  by  the  advancing  tide  of  humanity  westward. 

The  feeble  hands  of  private  and  individual  men  could  subdue  the 
forests  of  our  Atlantic  border,  and  they  did  it;  but  when  they  came  to 
what  lay  beyond  the  Missouri,  and  the  ever-reverberating  command 
was  heard,  “ Subdue  it,”  a whole  nation  stood  ready  to  yield  obedience 
to  the  mandate  and  execute  the  work. 

Sherman’s  “ March  to  the  Sea,”  although  he  necessarily  marked  his 
track  with  devastation  and  blood,  was  glorious ; and  men  and  women 
will  speak  of  it  and  sing  of  it  for  a long  time  to  come;  hut  the  time  is 
coming  when  Perry’s  Maroh  to  another  Sea,  strewing  his  pathway 
with  blessings  and  benefits,  will  claim  and  receive  tributes  of  eloquence 
and  song  loftier  and  more  enduring.  The  victories  of  War  — some- 
times a sad  necessity — are  always  exhausting,  always  shrouded  in  sad- 
ness and  tears;  while  those  of  Peace,  however  expensive,  are  always 
profitable,  making  rich  those  who  achieve  them,  and  adding  no  sorrow. 


LATER  FACTS  AND  DEVELOPMENTS. 


Raton  Mountain  Coal  Mines.  — General 
Wm.  J.  Palmer,  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
energetic  officers  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
way Company,  E.  D.,  is  now  (Sept.,  1867)  on 
a tour  of  reconnoissance  and  observation  in 
the  country  between  the  valley  of  the  Smoky 
Hill  and  the  Rio  Grande.  He  finds  that  as 
regards  routes  there  is  no  difficulty,  as  the 
road  can  be  run  either  through  or  around  the 
Raton  mountain.  In  a letter  from  Fort  Union, 
in  New  Mexico,  he  speaks  of  the  vast  deposits 
of  coal  found  on  that  range  and  in  the  region 
adjacent,  and  of  the  agricultural  and  pastoral 
character  of  that  country.  We  have  only  room 
for  a brief  extract.  He  says  : 

“Hr.  Le  Conte  has  just  arrived  from  his 
examination  of  the  coal-field,  and  his  report 
is  very  satisfactory.  There  is  abundance  of 
good  coal  — very  good  coal  — on  both  sides  of 
the  Raton  mountain,  which  can  be  readily 
reached  from  the  railroad  line.  On  this  side 
of  the  mountain  the  coal  extends  to  within 
thirty  miles  of  this  place,  and  probably  farther. 
Here,  then,  is  the  great  natural  depot  of  fuel, 
not  only  for  this  Pacific  Railway,  but  for  the 
country  contiguous  to  it  for  at  least  as  far  east 
as  Fort  Harker,  and  as  far  west  as  — well,  that 
depends  upon  further  explorations. 

“ The  country  in  and  contiguous  to  the 
Raton  mountain  is  the  finest  grazing  country 
I have  ever  seen.  I don’t  think  it  can  be  ex- 
celled; and  on  this  side  the  ground  is  very 
fertile,  and  with  very  little  labor  fine  crops  of 
wheat,  corn,  oats  and  other  grains  are  grown.” 

General  Palmer,  in  a letter  of  a still  later 
date,  speaks  of  the  anthracite  coal  mines  of 
New  Mexico,  which,  as  I have  already  stated, 
(page  69,)  are  located  but  a comparatively 
short  distance  from  this  line  of  road.  He  was 
about  to  visit  them. 

There  seems  to  be  some  degree  of  corre- 
spondence beween  the  coal  formations  of  New 
Mexico  and  those  of  Pennsylvania.  On  the 
slopes  of  the  mountains,  their  foot-hills  and 
declining  plains,  bituminous  coal  in  great 
abundance  is  found,  as  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania; while  more  in  the  heart  of  the  moun- 
tain system,  as  in  Central  Pennsylvania,  the 
anthracite  variety  is  found.  It  is  very  prob- 
able that  the  bituminous  variety  is  little,  if 
any,  less  in  quantity  in  New  Mexico  than  in 
Western  Pennsylvania;  but  as  to  the  quantity 
of  the  anthracite,  the  explorations  and  re- 
searches have  not  been  sufficiently  extended 
to  warrant  any  comparative  estimate. 

But  from  the  fact  that  coal  abounds  in  the 
line  between  Pond  Creek  and  Denver,  and  on 
and  around  the  Raton  Mountain,  we  may 
safely  conclude  that  it  is  confined  to  no  nar- 
row locality;  but  is  found,  as  in  Western 
Pennsylvania,  in  many  distinct  and  widely 
separated  localities,  in  deposits  of  from  five  to 
fifty  miles  in  extent,  and  in  veins  of  from  a 
few  inches  to  ten  and  even  fifteen  feet  in 
thickness.  These  coal  beds,  as  in  Western 
Pennsylvania,  lie  in  nearly  horizontal  strata. 


But  for  any  practical  utility  to  the  country, 
these  rich  mines  might  as  well  be  in  the  moon 
as  where  they  are,  until  a railway  shall  be 
constructed  through  that  country  by  which 
their  products  can  be  carried  both  east  and 
west  — to  the  rich  agricultural  region  in  one 
direction,  and  to  the  rich  mineral  regions  in 
the  other.  Without  a railroad,  they  are  sim- 
ply worthless ; but  with  one,  they  will  be  a 
source  of  incalculable  national  wealth,  and 
will  contribute  largely  to  the  success  of  this 
great  railroad  enterprise. 

Analysis  of  Raton  Mountain  Coal. 

Philadelphia,  August  5,  1867. 

To  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Co.,  E.  I).  : 

The  sample  of  coal  from  Raton  Mountain 
yields  on  analysis  as  follows  : 

Moisture,  at  212°  Fahrenheit,  4.74 

Sulphur, 16 

Volatile  matter,  . . 37.20 

Fixed  carbon,  . . . 53.90 

Ash, 4.00 

100.00 

The  above  analysis  shows  a yield  at  the 
rate  of  437.6  lbs.  of  illuminating  gas  per  ton 
of  2000  lbs.,  which  is  equivalent  to  7439.2 
cubic  feet.  You  will  see  from  the  above  that 
your  coal  compares  very  favorably  with  any 
of  those  regarded  as  the  best  for  steam-gener- 
ating purposes,  and  with  the  majority  of  those 
used  for  the  manufacture  of  illuminating  gas. 

Williams  & Moss, 
Analytical  and  Consulting  Chemists. 

Coal  on  the  Pacific  Slope.  — Mr.  W.  M. 
Gabb,  in  a report  made  to  J.  Ross  Brown, 
Esq.,  remarks  : “ The  great  coal-bearing  for- 
mations of  the  world,  those  from  which  the 
coals  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Mississippi 
Valley  are  obtained,  are  not  represented  on 
the  Pacific  Slope  of  the  North  American  con- 
tinent.” He,  however,  mentions  several  mines 
of  coal  of  inferior  quality  on  that  slope,  one 
on  Mount  Diablo,  in  Southern  California,  a 
part  of  the  Coast  Range,  of  which  he  says  : 
“ There  is  here  at  least  one  bed  of  coal  of  con- 
siderable size,  but  very  poor  quality  and  vari- 
able thickness.  Furthermore,  it  is  so  broken 
and  twisted  by  the  disturbing  forces  to  which 
the  rocks  of  the  vicinity  have  been  subjected, 
that,  even  were  the  coal  good  in  quality,  the 
vein  could  not  be  relied  on.” 

Mineral  Wealth  of  Southern  Califor- 
nia. — On  this  subject  I beg  leave  to  refer  the 
reader  to  the  Report  of  J.  Ross  Brown,  Esq., 
upon  the  Mineral  Resources  of  the  States  and 
Territories  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  re- 
cently published  by  authority  of  Congress, 
especially  copper,  (page  138  et  seq.,)  and 
quicksilver,  (page  170  et  seq.) 

Copper  Mines  in  Arizona.  — J.  Ross 
Brown,  Esq.,  in  his  Report  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  upon  the  Mineral  Resources 
of  the  States  and  Territories  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  recently  published,  says  : 

(87) 


“ There  are  undoubted  proofs  of  the  exist- 
ence of  exceedingly  valuable  copper  mines  in 
this  Territory  at  various  points  convenient  to 
the  navigable  waters  of  the  Colorado  and  its 
tributaries.  Mr.  Pompelly,  a scientific  geolo- 
gist and  mineralogist,  who  subsequently  was 
appointed  mineralogist  to  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment, made  an  extended  examination  of 
the  mineral  resources  of  Arizona,  and  in  the 
published  report  of  his  observations  he  refers 
particularly  to  the  extraordinary  richness  and 
extent  of  the  copper  resources  of  the  Terri- 
tory. Other  parties,  who  have  travelled  ex- 
tensively through  it  since  Mr.  Pompelly,  fully 
corroborate  all  that  gentleman  reported  on 
this  subject.  Important  mines  have  been  dis- 
covered, and  districts  organized  at  many 
points  in  the  Territory,  among  which  are  the 
Irataba  district,  about  twenty-five  miles  south- 
west from  Fort  Mohave ; the  Freeman  district, 
about  sixty  miles  south  of  Williams’  Fork; 
the  Chimewawa  district,  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Colorado,  nearly  opposite  La  Paz ; the 
Salaza  district,  about  thirty-five  miles  north- 
east of  La  Paz,  and  the  Castle  Dome  district, 
about  thirty  miles  north  of  the  Gila.  The  for- 
mations in  which  the  copper  is  found  in  this 
Territory  are  altogether  different  from  those 
in  which  it  is  found  in  Oregon  and  California. 
The  ores  themselves  are  also  quite  distinct, 
and  far  more  valuable  than  those  found  in 
those  States.” 

Mr.  Brown,  speaking  of  the  copper  dis- 
trict in  the  valley  of  the  Williams  river,  says  : 
“ The  Mineral  Hill  Company  have  run  a tun- 
nel on  their  mine  for  the  length  of  350  feet, 
out  of  which,  while  cutting,  they  took  nearly 
1000  tons  of  ore  of  an  average  of  30  per  cent., 
the  whole  work  from  the  surface  being  in  a 


body  of  ore.  The  ore  in  none  of  the  mines  in 
the  district  is  found  in  a regular  lode,  as  in 
the  mines  in  California,  but  the  whole  country 
appears  to  be  formed  of  iron  and  copper.” 
The  copper  exists  in  the  form  of  heavy  masses 
of  ore  embedded  in  large  quantities  of  powdery 
oxide  of  iron.  Sometimes,  when  these  heavy 
masses  are  removed,  this  dry  powder  comes 
rushing  down  to  the  amount  of  hundreds  of 
tons.  Some  of  the  copper  ore  found  in  this 
locality  is  quite  rich  in  gold. 

When  the  rich  and  exhaustless  coal  mines 
of  the  Raton  Mountain  shall  be  connected 
with  these  Arizona  mines  by  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway,  then,  and  not  before,  will  the  bound- 
less wealth  of  that  Territory  be  made  avail- 
able. 

Exhibit  of  the  Earnings  and  Expenses  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  E.  D.,  for  the 
month  of  July,  1867. 

To  amount  of  Earnings,  viz. : 
Government  Freight,  . $47,667  24 
“ Troops,  13,874  60 
“ Mails,  3,003  62 

Total  Government,  . . . $64,545  46 

Merchandise  and  Passenger  traffic,  125,025  13 


Total  Earnings,  . . . 189,570  59 

By  Working  Expenses,  . . 104,430  77 


Net  Proceeds,  . . . 85,139  82 

The  gross  earnings  for  the  month  of  August 
were  $236,000. 

For  Government  transportation,  $80,000 
Freight  and  Passengers,  . . 156,000 


BILLMEYER  & SMALL, 


Of  every  description  built  at  the  shortest  notice. 

Capacity  of  the  Works  from  two  to  five  cars  per  day,  according  to  specifications. 
CHARLES  BILLMEYER.  DAVID  E.  SMALL. 


88 


John  D.  Perry,  President.  Adolphus  Meier,  Vice-President. 

A Anderson,  General  Superintendent.  W.  J.  Palmer,  Treasurer. 

Chas.  B.  Lamborn,  Secretary.  S.  T.  Smith,  Auditor. 

T F.  Oakes,  General  Agent.  Jno.  M.Webster,  General  Freight  and  Ticket  Agent. 


SMOKY  HIKL  ROTJTE! 


EASTERN  DIVISION! 

OPEN  FOR  BUSINESS 

From  Wyandotte  and  Leavenworth,  on  the  Missouri  River,  to  Fort  Riley, 
Junction  City,  Ahilene,  Salina,  Fort  Harker  and  Ellsworth, 
to  Hays  City,  Kansas,  390  miles  west,  and  will  he 
completed  to  Pond  Creek  hy 
December  31,  1867. 

In  connection  with  the  Pacific  Railroad  of  Missouri,  and  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  forms 

THE  ONTL^T  RAIL  ZROTJTIE 

FROM 

NEW  YORK,  BOSTON,  PHILADELPHIA,  WASHINGTON,  BALTIMORE, 
CINCINNATI,  ST- LOUIS,  CHICAGO,  CAIRO,  MEMPHIS, 

NASHVILLE,  NEW  ORLEANS,  CHARLESTON, 

And  all  principal  Cities  North,  East  and  South.  To 

Lawrence , Topeka,  Wamego , Manhattan , 

Fort  Filey,  Junction  City,  Abilene,  Solomon  City, 
Satina,  Fort  Harker,  Ellsworth,  Hays  City, 

Fond  Creek,  Denver  City,  Santa  Fe,  Salt  Lake  City, 

AND  ALL  POINTS  IN 

COLORADO,  MONTANA,  NEVADA,  UTAH,  CALIFORNIA. 

OREGON  AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

Trains  leave  Wyandotte  and  Leavenworth  daily  on  arrival  of  cars  of  Pacific  Railroad  of  Mo.  from  St. 
Louis,  and  H annibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  from  Quincy,  for  all  points  in  Western  and  Southern  Kansas, 
and  the  Territories. 

THE  UNITED  STATES  EXPRESS  CO/S  OVERLAND  MAIL  & EXPRESS  COACHES 

Leave  the  Western  Terminus  of  the  Road  daily  on  arrival  of  cars,  for  Denver  City,  Salt  Lake  City,  Central 
City,  Boise  City,  and  all  the  principal  places  and  cities  of  Colorado,  Montana,  Nevada,  Utah,  Oregon  and 
California. 

BARLOW:  SANDERSON  8c  CO.’S  SANTA  FE  COACHES’, 

leave  the  end  of  the  Road  every  Monday,  Wednesday,  and  Friday  for  Fort  Bent,  Taos,  Fort  Union,  Santa  Fe, 
Albuquerque,  and  all  points  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

SCHEDULE  TIME. 


Denver  City  to  New  York 6 days. 

Denver  City  to  St.  Louis 3}4  days. 

Denver  City  to  Chicago 4 days. 


The  southerly  location  of  this  route  secures  exemption  from  delays  and  stoppages  occasioned  by  snow, 
and  travellers  make 

48  HOUHS  QUICKER  TIME! 

than  by  any  other  route  to  the  Mountains.  It  is  the  most  reliable  and  popular  route  between  the  Mississippi 
River  and  the  Pacific  Coast. 

The  Rolling  Stock  and  Equipments  are  new,  and  unsurpassed  in  durability  and  elegance.  Passengers 
taking  this  route  save  time  and  ensure  comfort. 

The  choice  of  two  first-class  routes  from  the  East  is  offered  to  shippers,  and  through  contracts  may  he 
made  for  freight  to  Denver  and  Santa  Fe  on  application  to  any  of  the  officers  of  the  Great  Western  Dispatch 
Company,  or  of  Woolworth  & Barton,  No.  254  Broadway,  New  York. 

JNO.  M.  WEBSTER,  ADNA  ANDERSON, 

General  Freight  and  Ticket  Agent.  General  Superintendent. 

WYANDOTTE,  KANSAS.  WYANDOTTE,  KANSAS. 

89 


2,000,000 

Acres  of  Land ! 


| RICHEST 

I Lands  in  Kansas! 


LAND  DEPAARTALETSTT 

UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY, 

Eastern  Division. 


The  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  COMPANY,  EASTERN  DIVISION,  are  now  offering  for  sale 

2,000,000  ACRES  OF  LAND! 

In  the  Most  Fertile  and  Productive  Portion  of  the 
State  of  Kansas, 

Comprising  some  250,000  acres  situated  in  the 

VALLEY  OF  THE  KAW  OR  KANSAS  RIVER! 

Known  as  the  “DELAWARE  INDIAN  RESERVE;” 

TOGETHER  WITH  SOME 

300,000  Acres  of  Congressional  Lands! 

Tlie  above  Lands  lie  East  of  Fort  Riley. 

The  Company  have  also  more  than  1,500,000  Acres  of  Land  for  sale 
WEST  OF  FORT  RILEY,  in  the  rich  valleys  of  the 

SMOKY  HILL , TILE  SOLOMON  AND  SALINE  UIVEIiS. 

These  lands  are  unsurpassed  for  fertility.  The  SOIL  IS  BLACK  LOAM  FROM  TWO  TO  THREE  FEET 
IN  DEPTH,  and  are  all  convenient  to  railroad  communication,  lying  FOR  TWENTY  MILES  ON  EACH 
SIDE  of  the 

Great  Highway  of  Travel  to  the  JPacific  Ocean ! 

In  the  list  of  Grain  and  Stock-growing  States  Kansas  stands  preeminently  first.  The  mildness  and  even- 
ness of  its  climate  renders  Stock-raising  both  easy  and  remunerative.  Cattle  graze  for  eight  months  of  the 
year,  and  the  extensive  prairies  afford  an  unlimited  supply  of  winter  provender  without  the  labor  of 
cultivation. 

Corn-planting  may  be  commenced  during  the  months  of  April,  May  and  June.  Winter  Wheat,  owing  to 
the  absence  of  frosts,  matures  in  June,  and  the  average  yield  is  30  bushels  per  acre.  Corn  yields  from  50  to 
100  bushels  per  acre,  dependent  on  the  manner  in  which  it  is  worked. 

S^-A-XjIj  fbuits 

Are  grown  to  great  advantage.  Peaches,  Pears,  Apples,  Plums  and  Grapes,  very  rarely  fail  to  produce 
abundantly.  The  culture  of  the  Grape  is  easy,  and  wine-making  will  in  the  future  be  one  of  the  most 
lucrative  pursuits.  There  is  an 

ABUNDANCE  OF  PURE  WATER 

For  farm  and  other  purposes.  The  Eastern  part  of  the  State  is  particularly  well  watered  with  constant 
streams.  Springs  are  numerous,  and  where  they  are  wanting  good  water  can  be  obtained  by  digging  from 
15  to  30  feet. 

The  valley  of  the  Saline  River  is  rich  in  SALT  SPRINGS,  and  several  companies  are  already  manufactur- 
ing Salt  for  Eastern  markets. 

90 


TIMBER. 

There  is  an  abundant  supply  of  timber  in  the  Eastern  part  of  the  State,  consisting  of  Oak,  Walnut, 
Hackberry,  Elm  and  Hickory,  and  groves  of  Cottonwood  and  some  hard  wood  are  found  along  all  the 
streams  west  of  Fort  Riley.  All  native  timber  grows  readily  on  the  prairie,  wherever  the  annual  fires  are 
prevented.  Hedges  of  Osage  Orange  are  easily  and  successfully  cultivated. 

BUIIADHSTG  MATERIALS. 

The  finest  quality  of  Limestone  for  building  purposes  is  found  throughout  the  State  of  Kansas,  and  crops 
out  in  the  Bluffs  along  the  valleys  of  all  the  rivers.  Sandstone  is  also  found  in  many  places.  Timber  is 
supplied  by  numerous  saw-mills  in  successful  operation  along  the  line  of  the  Road. 

COAL 

A stratum  of  coal  underlies  the  entire  eastern  portion  of  the  State,  cropping  out  along  the  various  streams 
in  seams  of  from  18  to  20  inches.  A vein,  some  six  feet  thick,  has  been  reached  by  borings  at  Fort  Leav- 
enworth. Veins  of  greater  thickness  occur  near  Fort  Scott,  and  in  the  Sac  and  Fox  lands.  New  deposits 
are  constantly  being  discovered. 

The  Climate  of  Kansas  is  Remarkably  Healthful. 

There  are  no  prevailing  diseases,  and  consumption  is  almost  unknown.  The  atmosphere  is  clear,  dry  and 
invigorating.  Rains  are  frequent,  the  annual  fall  of  rain  exceeding  that  of  western  New  York. 


COMMON  SCHOOL 

The  educational  facilities  are  good.  The  common  schools  are  endowed  with  large  grants  of  land,  and 
Normal  Schools  are  in  successful  operation  in  various  parts  of  the  State.  Through  the  facilities  offered  by 
the  Railroad  to  emigrants  seeking  homes  in  the  West,  Kansas  is  rapidly  filling  up  with  an  active,  enter- 
prising and  intelligent  population.  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  population  was  increased  50,000  souls 
during  the  year  1866. 


THE  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  COMPANY,  E.  D., 

Now  offer  these  lands  for  sale  at  from 

$1.00  to  $5.00  n;j;  acme.' 

and  in  tracts  to  suit  purchasers. 


TERMS  OF  PAYMENT. 

The  Lands  are  sold  for  Cash  or  on  credit.  Sales  are  made  on  credit  as  follows: 

One-fifth  cash  down  at  time  of  purchase. 

No  payment,  except  interest  due,  at  end  of  First  Year* 

One-fifth  cash  with  interest  due,  “ “ Second  “ 

“ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ Third  “ 

“ « “ “ “ “ “ “ Fourth  “ 

“ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ Fifth  “ 

Interest  on  deferred  payments  at  6 per  cent,  per  annum,  A DEDUCTION  of  10  PER  CENT, 
on  credit  price  will  he  made  for  cash  payment  in  full. 

EXAMPLE. 

160  acres  at  $2,50  per  acre  will  cost  $400,  to  be  paid  as  follows : 


Principal. 

Interest 

Cash  payment 

$80 

End  of  First  Year 

$19.20 

“ Second  “ 

“ Third  “ 

“ Fourth  “ 

19^20 

14.40 

9.50 

“ Fifth  “ 

480 

The  same  Farm  may  be  purchased  for  $360  cash. 


For  further  particulars,  maps  of  lands,  &c.,  address 

JOHN  P.  DEVEREUX, 

Land  Commissioner,  LAWRENCE,  KANSAS. 

Or  CHAS.  B.  LAMB0RN, 

Secretary  U.  P.  R.  W.  CO.,  E.  D.,  ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
91 


OLD  EELIABLE 

NORTH  MISSOURI  RAILWAY! 

* 


Great  Central  United  States  Mail  and  Express  Route 


3STO  CHANGE  OF  CAES 

BETWEEN 

St.  Louis  and  St.  Joseph,  Atchison  and  Leavenworth. 


THE  MOST  DESIRABLE  AND  PLEASANT  ROUTE  TO 

LEAYENWORTH, 

XjJA'WE.EIST'OE, 

to:p:e:k:.a., 

J"TJICsr OTIO^T  OITY, 
ELLSWOETH, 

HZ_A.3TS  CITY, 

AND  ALL  POINTS  IN  THE  FAR  WEST. 


CERTAIN  AND  CLOSE  CONNECTIONS  ABE  MADE 

AAT  ST.  JOSEPH, 

With  the  Missouri  River  Packet  Company’s  new  and  splendid  Steamers ; also  daily 
line  of  Stages  for  NEBRASKA  CITY,  OMAHA  and  intermediate  points. 

AT  LEAVENWORTH, 

With  Union  Pacific  Railway  (E.D.)  for  Lawrence,  Topeka,  Fort  Riley,  Junction 
City,  Salina,  Ellsworth,  and  Hays  City. 

APT  WILSON’S  STAATIOIST, 

(530  Miles  west  of  St.  Louis,) 

With  Daily  Overland  Stages  for  Denver  City,  Salt  Lake  City  and  California. 

92 


AT  OMAHA, 

With  Union  Pacific  Railroad  for  Kearney  and  Western  Terminus  of  Union 
Pacific  Road,  where  connections  are  made  with  Daily  Overland  Stages 
for  Denver  City,  Salt  Lake  City,  and  California. 

Also,  the  Most  Direct  Route  to  all  Parts  of  North  Missouri. 

STAGE  LIITES  .AlIRAE  ZRTTTsT 

From  all  the  Principal  Stations  to  Interior  Counties  and  Towns. 


TO  FAMILIES  EMIGRATING  INTO  THE  STATE. 


Are  attached  to  all  Freight  Trains  for  the  Special  Accommodation  of  those  who 
desire  to  go  with  their  goods  and  stock,  and  exercise  personal  supervision  of  same. 


FARE  ALWAYS  A.  S LOW 

AS  VIA  ANT  OTHER  RODTE. 


Baggage  CHECKED  Through! 


SUPERIOR 


Are  found  on  this  Line,  and  Passengers  are  given  ample  time  for  Eating. 


New  and  Elegant  Sleeping-Cars, 

With  all  Modern  Improvements,  have  recently  been  pnt  npon  the  road,  and 


ARE  NOW  ON  ALE  NIGHT  TRAINS. 


Can  be  purchased  at  all  the  principal  Railroad  Ticket  Offices  throughout  the  country, 

over  this  line. 


Be  sure  and  ask  for  TICKETS  via  the  NORTH  MISSOURI  RAILWAY 

AND  EXAMINE  AND  SEE  THAT  SUCH  ARE  FURNISHED  YOU. 

H.  H.  WHEELER,  ISAAC  H.  STURGEON, 

Gen’l  Ticket  and  Freight  Agent.  President  and  Gen’l  Sup’t. 

93 


AIR-LINE  ROUTE 


II 


THE 


(OF  MISSOURI.) 


SHORTEST,  QUICKEST  AND  ONLY  ALL  RAIL  LINE  TO 

Kansas  City  and  Leavenworth! 

THROUGH  WITHOUT  CHANGE  OF  CARS. 

SLEEPING-CARS  ON  NIGHT  TRAINS ! 

Connecting  at  Leavenworth  with  MISSOURI  VALLEY  R.  R.,  for 

WEST  OUST,  ATOHISOU, 

AND 

ST.  JOSEPH. 

WTIME  AS  QUICK  AND  FARE  AS  LOW  AS  BY  ANY  OTHER  ROUTE!"®* 

DIRECT  CONNECTIONS  AT  STATE  LINE  WITH 

UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY, 

(The  Great  Smoky  Hill  Route,) 

For  Lawrence,  Topeka,  Fort  Filey, 

SALINA  AND  FORT  ELLSWORTH. 

The  United  States  Express  Company’s  Stages  leave  the  terminus  of  the  Union 

Pacific  Railway, 

DAILY  FOR  DENVER,  SALT  LAKE, 

And.  All  Points  in  tlie  Territories, 

AND 

TRI-WEEKLY  FOR  SANTA  FE  AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

ST.  LOUIS  AND  PAD! FLO  EXPRESS  FREIGHT  LINE 

Via  PACIFIC  RAILROAD  OF  MISSOURI  and  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY,  to 

Kansas  City,  Leavenworth,  Lawrence,  Fort  Riley, 

AND  ALL  POINTS  ON  ABOVE  ROADS. 

Jf^i^  Through  Bills  of  Lading  signed  in  all  Eastern  Cities  via  this  Line, 
GENERAL  OFFICE,  209  N.  THIRD  STREET,  ST.  LOUIS. 

JAS.  F.  AGLAR,  General  Agent. 

Ask  for  Tickets  via  St.  Louis  and  Pacific  Railroad. 

C.  HT.  PRATT,  T.  McKISSOCK, 

Passenger  Agent.  Gen’l  Superintendent. 

94 


W.  O.  LEWIS, 

General  Ticket  Agent. 


GREAT  CENTRAL  ROUTE 


BETWEEN  THE 


YIA 


ST.  LOUIS,  ALTON  AND  TERRE  HAUTE  R.  R. 


THREE  EXPRESS  PASSENGER  TRAINS  DAILY, 

Making  immediate  connections  at  INDIANAPOLIS  with  the 

BELLEFONTAINE,  COLUMBUS  AND  INDIANAPOLIS  CENTRAL 

AND 

INDIANAPOLIS  AND  CINCINNATI  RAILROADS, 

FOR 

eastern  cities, 

BEING  FROM 

Seven  to  Nine  Hours  in  Advance  of  all  Competing  Lines. 

MAGNIFICENT  STATEROOM  AND  SECTION  SLEEPING-CARS 

ON  ALL  NIGHT  TRAINS. 

Fare  always  as  Low  as  by  any  other  Fonte. 

JPgp*  The  many  advantages  possessed  by  this  Route  in  Speed,  Certainty  of  Con- 
nection, &c.,  are  well  known  to  the  Travelling  Public. 

Tickets  can  be  procured  in  all  Ticket  Offices  in  the  South,  East  and  West,  and  at 
the  Company’s 

General  Ticket  Office,  105  North  Fourth  Street,  St.  Louis. 

TO  SECURE  SPEED,  SAFETY  AND  COMFORT ’ 

Be  sure  your  Tickets  read  “Via  Indianapolis.” 

H.  C.  MOORE,  General  Superintendent. 

EDWARD  VERNON,  General  Ticket  Agent.  F.  M.  COLBURN,  Ticket  Agent. 


UNITED  STATES  EXPRESS  CO 


Express  Forwarders  to  all  Parts  of  the  World,  and  Carriers 
of  the  Great  Overland  Mail 

Between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  States,  via 

MISSOURI,  PACIFIC,  UNION  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  AND  SMOKY  HILL. 


THE  COMPANY  IS  RUNNING  A DAILY  LINE  OF  COACHES 

FROM 

WILSON’S  ST^AJTIOISr, 

Five  hundred  and  thirty  miles  west  of  St.  Louis, 

TO  DENYEB,  O O Xj  O K,  .A.  ID  O, 

MAKING  CONNECTIONS  WITH 

Wells,  Fargo  & Co,  for  Central  City , Flack  Hawk, 

Virginia  City  and  Selena , Montana ; JBoin  City, 

Idaho ; Walla  Walla , Washington  Territory ; 

Portland,  Oregon ; Salt  Lake  City,  Austin 
and  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  to  Sacra- 
mento, California, 

Also,  with  the  DENVER  AND  SANTA  FE  STAGE  COMPANY  for  all  the 
principal  points  in  NEW  MEXICO. 

Treasure  and  express  carried  on  mail  time  to  all  of  the  above  points.  The  Smoky 
Hill  route  is  now  thoroughly  protected  by  the  Government ; is  the  most  expeditious 
and  safest,  being  over  the  best  natural  roads  in  the  world.  The  Stage  equipments 
are  nearly  all  new  — splendid  six-horse  Concord  Coaches.  The  Eating  Stations  are 
furnished  by  the  Company,  and  everything  will  be  done  to  promote  the  convenience 
and  comfort  of  the  travelling  public. 

Through  tickets  and  all  information  may  be  obtained  at  the 

PACIFIC  RAILROAD  COMPANY’S  THROUGH  TICKET  OFFICE, 

No,  12  FOURTH  STREET, 

At  the  principal  Railway  Ticket  Offices  East,  and  all  the  Offices  of  the  United  States 

Express  Company. 

HENRY  KIP,  General  Superintendent 

83  Broadway,  N.  Y. 

W.  H.  COTTRILL,  Division  Superintendent, 

500  North  Fourth  Street,  St.  Louis. 

96 


' — 


“"W 


